May 2, 2023
Dear ITEM Friends,
All of us, I think, are familiar with one form of Murphy’s Law or another. For the first four days of my trip I felt like Murphy was seated in the plane next to me.
The form of Murphy’s Law in am thinking of is the law that reads, “If anything can go wrong, it probably will.”
My well thought out and planned itinerary was as follows: Leave Portland 2:15pm Saturday, April 29. After transiting through Amsterdam I was to reach Nairobi, Kenya 10pm Sunday night April 30. Rest and conduct four meetings on Monday May 1 at the guest house. Then after resting for a full day, travel to Kinshasa, DRC to begin a busy two weeks of ministry. Murphy met me at the Portland airport.
In Portland, I boarded the plane on time but after taxing out to the runway for takeoff and sitting for a few minutes the pilot let us know they were having trouble with one of the wing flaps and ground crew was working on it. As time went by, I could see my layover in Amsterdam disappearing. After sitting on the plane for 3.5 hours they said we would have to deplane and I knew then there was no way I could make my flight out of Amsterdam.
Delta rescheduled me to fly out the next day, same time and put me up in a hotel near the airport with a food voucher. In the process, I lost premium seating that I had carefully chosen. Thanks, Murphy!
When I checked in the next day, the computers saw my relatively short layover in Kenya, now only a few hours from late Monday to early today, Tuesday, and wanted to send my luggage all the way to Kinshasa. It took a supervisor to outsmart the computer (and Murphy). The new seat to Amsterdam was not premium but doable. Then Murphy struck again. While trying to get my noise cancelling earphones to work with the entertainment system, the tip of the pin broke off deep in the headphone jack. So I, had no entertainment system for the 9.5 hour flight.
The layover in Amsterdam was fine. I was able to get my premium seat back for the Amsterdam to Nairobi flight, but it was one of those dreaded middle seats. Not fun and I felt sorry for the men on either side as I needed to get out of my seat often for different reasons. Murphy wasn’t finished.
The flight left Amsterdam 30 mins late and flight time was 30 mins longer than usual. I got to Nairobi just before 11pm. By the time I got my luggage, cleared customs, found my driver, and got to my room it was after 1am Tuesday. I got to bed as quickly as possible but couldn’t sleep. I got out of bed shortly before 4am and by 4:30am today, Tuesday, May 2, I was on my way back to the airport to catch a 7:40am flight to the DRC. I am on that flight now.
So, thanks for Murphy I haven’t been to sleep since I got out of bed about 8am Sunday morning but I am hoping I left Murphy in Nairobi. I am back on my original well thought out and well planned schedule.
I am scheduled to preach tonight, Tuesday. Meet with the ITEM team Wednesday morning. And conduct an apologetics seminar Wednesday evening before returning to Nairobi Thursday morning May 4.
Please be in prayer for my travel. I didn’t leave much flex time between stops so it is prudent that flights are on schedule and not cancelled. Pray for my 7 apologetics events that seminar attendees will truly gain from what they hear. Pray especially for the three events where I will be speaking about the LGBTQ revolution in the US that is starting to raise its head in Africa.
Thanks in advance for praying.
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By His grace,
Steve
P.S. Added at bedtime. Murphy is still around. Report tomorrow.