My Flight from London to San Fransisco

So I got on the plane and I really did have the worst seat ever. 

First you have to walk past the nice seats:  just to taunt you.
"You are too poor to sit here"

Then you finally find your own seat... in the back row:

 

I was sandwiched between to people who slept the whole journey.  There was a little leg room but not enough to pass anyone to use the loo...

These are my knees!

So I had to wake one of them up every now and then to use the loo.  "excuse me unsociable person please wake up before I wet my knickers!"

Here was my dinner: the choice was beef or beef.  Another wonderful thing about being the very last person at the back is that you have no choice of menu at all. It was fairly grim.

I was sat behind an orthodox priest though and he was more chatty.  I watched him spend ages choosing which in flight film to watch (he decided on the sound of music).  Then he listened to something on his laptop.  He had the most enormous picture of Jesus as his screen saver.  Then he deliberated again over which film to watch and proceeded to watch the sound of music all the way through again!!!!!!!   Because our flight had been delayed we made friends the priest and I.  We pegged it for customs together and ran side by side through baggage reclaim.  His dress tassels were flying as we ran: bizarre moment in my life!

 Just to prove I made it :)

But dreams of reaching my destination that night were shattered when I discovered they had cancelled all the connecting flights to Redding. 

AAAAGGGGRRRHHH

Ok, so 8 days until I leave to fly to Bethel. But, I just went online to check which seats I have chosen for my flights to discover that one of my flights had completely disappeared from my schedule...  I phoned United Airlines and they told me my travel agent had cancelled that flight.  ????????  I have now spent over an hour and a half on the phone trying to sort it.  They assure me it will now be fixed in the next hour or so.  I feel like I have had enough now.  Enough.

I got no sleep last night because I was still stressing about when registration would open.  It opened at 1am our time (yes we have an 8 hour time disadvantage).  I had to try and fill in all the registers whilst the children were all eating breakfast... you only get 30mins so the pressure was on.  I did manage to select all my classes so that was a relief...  but now I am at the other end of a long day trying to sort out my flights again.  This is the 6th change united have made to my flights. 

I had the most clear prophetic words I have ever had to go to Bethel this year.  I am being sent.  Now I think it is a good job it was so clear as I have felt such a spiritual battle over this whole process.  I think I may have given up by now if God was not so clear.  I am reading about Joshua at the moment and teaching on it in assembly tomorrow....  again no coincidence I think:  The song "Be bold, be strong, for the Lord your God is with you" is rattling around my head.  I know God has given a promise and I know he will follow it through... I just like having my life in neat little boxes and really am finding this living by faith, every moment, unsettling.  Lord please make a way through :)

Pre-Flight Jitters

So I have only have 13 days to go until I jet off the the USA to be in the Bethel School of Supernatural Worship in California.  I am soooo excited now and a lot nervous.  I do have a fear of small spaces and heights.  I also have a fear of plummeting from a great height to my death.  All these things are not conducive to the love of airplanes. 


So in order to get to Bethel and seeing God's glory I must first get myself to the airport on a bus and then fly on 2 airplanes. 
 
One huge beast of a thing....

....... and one so small I certainly would not be able to swing a cat. 

  
In fact I do not know which one scares me the most: huge or stupidly tiny. 

 I have spent many hours looking at seating options....

• I could sit by an exit and thus be 1st out in the unlikely event of sheer panic.  But I could then be sucked out 1st if the door unexpectedly swung open.
• I could sit by a window thus giving myself a nice quiet spot to stew and sleep???  But, what if the person in the aisle falls asleep I will be trapped forever.
• I could sit near the loo as I am sure I will be spending most of my time in there due to panic in the bowels.  But the toilets for the cheap seats are at the back of the plane and I have seen the series "Lost" so I know sitting in the tail is definitely not a good option.

• I even put my seat on the end of a row of 5 middle seats thinking this would be a safe option.  Nearer the front, nearish to an exit (but not too close) and fully available to shoot to the loo at a moments notice.  But as my lovely friend pointed out I would most probably end up sitting next to a family of 4 and spend the 11 hour flight entertaiing small children.  (I love my kids but I would not like to entertain even them on a 11 hour flight).

So where does that leave me?  I have chosen and then reselected seats 3 times now.  So I am leaving it well alone now.  Ailse seat for the long haul, window seat for the 1 hour tiny plane.  In actual fact I have booked a window seat on the tiny plane but as it is so small it is also an aisle seat :)

 I just have to keep praying about this flying thing.  When I did an assembly for the kids at school a few weeks ago we all talked about our fears and how we can overcome them because God is with us.  We also prayed for our fears and I did ask God to rid that one for me.  I do feel slightly calmer about it.  You will all know in 13 days how it goes.

So  am now in "oh goodness it is actually happening quite soon" mode.  I have been throwing things into a suitcase whenever I think I might need it.  So my hope is that the suitcase will almost have packed itself by next week.

Now before going away there is a certain point in the week when you realise that you must start wearing your manky clothes now to make sure all the nice ones are clean.  Doesn't really apply here though as the clothes I will pack for my trip are my lovely summer clothes and I am certainly now wearing all my winter stuff again because it is so cold here.

I am sure I will be posting again about my preparations.  13 Days to go aaaggrrhh.