Part 1 “Alonso”

 

Hello everyone, I spent a long night in Atlanta International and I have some cool stories to share. This is part 1 of 3 stories. 

 

I flew out of Atlanta international airport at 5:25am. For international flights you need to be there 3hrs before departure. I live about 1hr and 30min from the airport. So instead of having someone take me to the airport at 2am, I had a friend drop me off the night before. I got to the airport around 11pm and I was ready for bed. I searched for a good place to sleep, and I found one. It was on the second story of a large atrium. I inflated my sleeping pad, and was about to take my sandals off. As I was doing this I talked with God. I asked Him if instead of sleeping I should be sharing His love with those in the airport. Then all of a sudden an old man walked right up to where I was making my bed. The spot I chose was secluded. He sat down directly in front of me and I could see he was tired. We talked a little about our flights and where we were headed. He kept mentioning how tired he was so I offered him my sleeping pad. At first he just said “yeah ok” but he didn’t move to my sleeping pad. We talked more about his life and about what I was doing at the airport. I was able to pray for him and he said ” thank you, I know I can trust God.” We talked about some of the countries I’ve seen and the ones I was headed to. He was concerned about my safety, from what he has heard the places I was going are very dangerous. I told him that there are dangers everywhere, all I do is go out and love. He loved my answer and then he accepted my bed. He laid down and got comfortable. I layed down next to him, and we talked about life. He was headed to El Salvador, he had been living there for the past 11 years. I told him I would love to see El Salvador one day. He said he would love to have traveled like me when he was young. He did a couple of mission trips but nothing quite like what I had been doing. After we talked we both slept for a few hours. Then he woke me up, offered me some food. I had just eaten so I told no thanks. We said goodbye and he left.

I wasn’t out “looking” for “ministry” I was just getting ready for bed. This man was in need of rest and I was there to love on him. I think if we just take the time to see that person right in front of us, we can make a difference. I hope Alonso made it home safely and our encounter helped his heart remember God.