A Lesson About Prayer (Long Post)

Last Tuesday (Feb. 19), Elder Hatch was scheduled to fly to Africa, Cameroon, to be exact, to begin the proselyting phase of his mission (as opposed to the "sitting in the classroom" part of his mission). He had told me what cities he was flying in and out of and what times his flights were. I was able to go online and find his specific flights so I could check to see the status of each leg. He left Salt Lake and was scheduled to fly to Chicago, then Brussels, and finally, Yaounde', Cameroon (with a brief stop in Douala, Cameroon). He didn't have a lot of time in Salt Lake, so he called Maren & me from Chicago. He was traveling alone and had a 6 hour layover. That means we got to talk for 90 minutes! It was SO good to hear his voice and his laugh--it almost was if he had been gone only a few days. All too soon he had to hang up so he could have a few minutes to call Aubrey before he needed to board his flight to Brussels.

I was feeling pretty happy and energized after our phone call. But when I checked to see if his plane had taken off, I saw that it was delayed several minutes. I had to head to work, so I asked Maren to call me at work once she saw that it had taken off. I was already concerned because his connection was so tight in Brussels (70 minutes) and he would have to go through customs. When the plane finally took off, it was 45 minutes late. I continued to check the status once I got home that evening. The flight wasn't gaining any time, it was most definitely going to arrive late. By now I was really anxious and upset. I had been praying all day for his safe travels, now I was praying he would make his connection. I was so upset that I couldn't sleep and I was literally sick to my stomach. I finally realized that I couldn't do anything about the situation, but I could pray for my son. And I changed my prayer. I prayed very specifically for three things; one, that he would be safe, two, that he would be guided by people on both sides of the veil, and three, that he would have a clear mind. I was finally able to go to sleep about midnight.

About 2:00 am I woke up and realized that his plane was probably landing in Brussels. I checked the flight status and yes, it had landed a few minutes before. The next flight took off about 10 minutes late. I didn't hear anything for the next two hours that I was awake and was able to get to sleep about 4:30 am. But here's the thing, I was completely calm when I woke up at 2:00. And again when I woke up at 6:30 am to get Maren off to school. And while I was at work.

Because of the time difference (8 hours) I figured that I should hear something in Wednesday afternoon about whether or not he had made it to Cameroon. Once the evening came and I hadn't heard anything either way, I started to get a little worked up again, but nothing like the night before. I had the mission president's wife's email address and thought I should email her. I thought maybe I should wait a little longer, but my sister-in-law convinced me that I should do it right then so she could read it when she got to the mission office in the morning (middle of the night here). I went to bed and was blessed to be able to sleep soundly all night long. When I got up on Thursday morning there was an email from Sis. Jameson, the mission president's wife. Here's what she had to say:
He missed his connecting flight and church travel wanted to put him on a flight that got into Cameroon at midnight. He was wise enough to suggest that it wasn't a good idea to do that. The travel department called us to see if we should push him to do it and we totally agreed with Elder Hatch that a midnight arrival was not only difficult for him, but dangerous for those traveling to pick him up at the airport. So, he spent the night in a hotel and will fly on the same flight to Cameroon, only a day later. The couple there is aware and will meet him at the airport. The good news is that he is a pretty wise young man and handled this change of plans with wisdom and self-assurance. We're sorry for causing you concern. You should get word today of his safe arrival. If not, then write to me again. 

I did get an email from the senior couple in Yaounde'  Thursday afternoon assuring me that Carson had arrived and it included a picture as well. Hallelujah! 

I knew my prayers had been answered, but I really wanted to know exactly how. I had sent Carson a brief email explaining my specific prayer and asking him to tell me how my prayer had been answered. In his email today, he told me the following:
On the flight to Brussels, I sat next to this Baptist missionary who was living in DR Congo with her husband and family.
She helped me know where to go in the airport because she has flown through that airport a lot. And she helped me to know where to go to get my flight redone and what not. So I was very thankful to her for helping me. So that's how it got answered.

Not a lot of detail, but enough for me to learn a lesson. When I was the most anxious, I couldn't do anything so I turned it all over to my Heavenly Father with a few specific requests. Once Carson was in the airport and having to find his luggage, make ticket changes, get food, etc. I was completely calm. Because Heavenly Father had answered this mother's prayer by sending a living, breathing angel to help my son find his way. I have no doubt that Gary was also guiding him from the other side as well. Sis. Jameson said that he handled the situation with wisdom and self-assurance. And he was obviously kept safe. I didn't know what was happening at the time that this was all going on, but I did know that I was calmer and more able to move forward with confidence that he was taken care of and going to be fine. 

I'm so grateful for answers to my prayers, both large and small. I know my Heavenly Father loves me and answers my prayers. 

Elder Whitesides, Elder Hatch, Elder Lundberg (companion), Elder ?
Outside Yaounde' Cameroon airport
Carson is the one with the shiny shoes :)