On board my plane from Jacksonville heading to Atlanta, I was just chillin in my seat, stoked that my dreams are only a plane ride away! But, we all know that God has a sense of humor and needs to test our faith.
First, the AC wouldn't work. They were waiting for the mechanic thus causing the first delay for the day. Meanwhile, a man decided that he needed his bag from the overhead compartment and again, as we all know, "contents may shift while in the air" so we need to be careful when we open them for our bags. Who knew that the luggage would shift when the plane didn't even move! This poor man's bag fell right on his head! I'm not sure of all the details, but apparently there was a PT on board who said he wasn't okay to fly. As a precaution, the flight attendant had to call an EMT to come on board and make sure that the man would be alright to fly. Forty five minutes later, the EMT came on board and cleared the man to fly. Yay! Finally, we were on the runway and getting ready to take off...are you hearing God chuckle yet? Well, our second engine wouldn't start after three attempts, thus we had to head back to the gate.
Two hours later, we are still sitting there waiting for the mechanic to fly in. Meanwhile, I was trying to determine how I was going to get out of Jacksonville! My tryout, ya know, the thing I have been training my entire life for! haha. I decided to call Delta and was on the phone with a woman named Marley. SHE, my friends, was AMAZING. She did everything she could to find a route that worked to get me to Bologna. Whether I went from Jax to New York to Paris to Bologna or Jax to Atlanta to Minnesota to Amsterdam to Bologna. This woman was determined to help me. However, I decided to just try to stick it out. I got off the plane to charge my phone and stretch a bit.
I then met a young man, Ramsey. He was heading to Washington, D.C.. In the middle of all this chaos, I was just trying to trust in God and know that if this really wasn't in my plan then I would HAVE to accept it, and just say "Yes Lord". (Sub30 fans should know what I'm talking about :) While speaking on the phone with Terri, I kinda lost it a little. I just couldn't hold back the tears while sitting in what felt like the middle of the airport. Watching my tears hit the floor, I knew that I just had to do my best to stay calm and trust God. Well, let me tell you something, he definitely provided. Ramsey I'm sure noticed my pain and seriously was like an angel. Without even telling me, he began looking up every other possible route I could take to get to Bologna. By the time I was off the phone he already had my plan of action ready. He came with me to the front desk and after about an hour of conversation with the agent, Karem (I believe), I was booked on the next flight to Atlanta.
By that time I had already missed my connection to Amsterdam, but I had to just keep telling myself to trust. After arriving in Atlanta, Ramsey and I headed to the ticket counter. While waiting in line, we met an awesome man. The three of us discussed politics and how we can fix our country. It was awesome. An hour and a half later, we reached the front of the line and the gentlemen forced me to go first; knowing that there was another flight to Amsterdam in an hour.
The woman at the counter (all by herself) was the sweetest lady. She called and begged and pleaded with the person on the other line until she got me on the flight. It was truly amazing having all these people help me in on of my most desperate times of need. I turned around to look at Ramsey and told him that she got me a seat and he looked almost more excited than I was, even though he had missed the flight for himself.
I ran and hustled my way to gate E26. On the tram ride there I spoke with Terri and Charles who reassured that God had a plan for me and that I needed not to worry and just keep moving forward. I arrived at the gate, was issued a ticket and boarded the plane.
Upon my arrival in Amsterdam, I had to go through customs, (yes they stamped my passport!) and speak with a man who was also going above and beyond to help me on my way. He never gave me his name, but he has a 9 year old son who he has taken to Disney World a few times! He has put me on standby to the first flight to Bologna, Italy! When I say on stand-by, he has me and thee first person to receive a seat if anyone is not there. Praise God!
I am writing this from the Netherlands airport in Amsterdam. I can't tell you how much of an adventure this has been. Scary and trying at times, but shoot, I'm in Europe so at least I'm over here! I can't thank those people enough for helping me. Especially: Ramsey, Terri, Terri's friend (who prayed and heard that God planned for me to have a divine meeting), Charles, and all of the amazing ticket agents.
I know that I will be in Bologna tonight. God has a plan and he is not going to just leave me half way through it. Thank you all again for your support. I hope you are enjoying this blog. I miss you all.
Love:
Ashley Anne August #13
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