two weeks, three miracles and five extra seats...luck OR the hand of a sovereign god?!

A couple of weeks ago I was getting ready to fly to Orlando, FL to teach in a Bible school for a few weeks. As I was preparing to go and praying about how I was to get to Orlando I felt the Lord tell me that He wanted to provide me with a pass to go there instead of purchasing a ticket. So I approached two friends I know who work for airlines. One couldn't help me and the other was eager to help me return to what I consider my "American home". Some weeks passed and the time was running out for me to let the base know when I would be arriving EXCEPT that I had still not heard from my friend. One day as I was sharing this prayer need with my friend Christina I remembered that she also had some airline connections, and was excited to be able to see how she could help me. As I am waiting to hear from Christina I found out that the friend who originally was going to get me there was no longer able to.

It is now 2 weeks before I leave to Orlando and it did not look promising from Christina's end either...I was now praying for a miracle as I knew that the Lord had spoken about this pass. Out of my lack of faith, I felt as though I was down to the wire when I got a call 10 days before I was set to leave from Christina telling me that she had a ticket! I was so shocked that I was numb. Not that I didn't believe that God's word was true and that He could provide this ticket for me, but I didn't really believe it :(

The morning I was leaving I arrived at the SeaTac Airport bright and early for my 6 am flight. I was promptly told I would not be able to make my connecting flight in New Mexico b/c of the flight being oversold. I took my chance with the deep peace that I had and got on the flight anyway. Sure enough once arriving in NM I was told that the chances were not good that I would get on my flight. 20 minutes before I was set to take off I was called to the desk..."well Loren you are in luck, the plane we were expecting to show up did not come. Instead the plane that did arrive has 5 extra seats so you will make your connecting flight after all..." AMAZING!

This trip to Orlando was more than I could have asked for...I was able to spend two weeks in the Sunshine State soaking up the sun, teaching the bible, having challenging theological discussions with staff and students and reconnecting with part of my YWAM family.

Then the day came to leave, I called the airlines and the lady told me that I would not be getting home that day. The flight I was on was the only one with seats of out Orlando for days, not to mention my connecting flight in Denver with NO seats and no availability - not shocking I decide to travel from Orlando in the middle of Spring Break and over the Easter weekend to boot (why make things easy for a God of the impossible to work around right?! :D) - on top of that I was on the latest flight out of Orlando to prolong my time there as along as possible!! The lady on the phone, being no fan of mine, told me it would be impossible to get home. Again being guided by a deep peace I took my chances - or a step of faith - and went to the airport.

Now I have flown in and out of MCO NUMEROUS times and never have I ever seen the airport so packed! Again Spring Break meets Easter in Orlando where over a Billion tourists come a year! I got on my flight to Denver praying for a multiplication of seats, knowing that God had provided this miracle on the way there! By the time I arrived in Denver they were already holding my oversold flight to Seattle as we had been delayed. I walked up to the gate and asked boldly for my boarding pass...the lady looked at me and slowly began to do some things on her computer. She began to take out a piece of paper and I asked her if I was able to get on this flight, she looked up at me and said, "you are lucky...the plane we were expecting didn't show up but the one that did had 5 extra seats..."