Perseverance through Adversity

Apparently, the Nebraska crew just doesn’t want the Guatemalan experience to end, and they’re mustering every ounce of strength and energy together to keep it going. Both the Nebraska crew and the Ace Hoops leaders were to arrive back in Omaha and the Twin Cities mid-evening yesterday (Sunday). And then travel disasters from you-know-where…..

Some might think that the Ace Hoops leaders crew had it bad. (Pulling in to my driveway at 2:30 in the morning this morning, I almost felt this way.) Our plane from Houston to Chicago got delayed about four hours…..and then we drove six hours from Chicago back to the Twin Cities….We were tired, but then we thought of our new friends from Nebraska…..

They were supposed to leave the airport from Guatemala City at 8:20 yesterday morning, then to Dallas and to arrive in Omaha sometime in the five o’clock hour on Sunday afternoon. They’ve now decided to take the long (and timely) way back home.  Here’s how it is developing….

The first flight took them to Miami, not to Dallas. The flight left an hour earlier than their original flight to Dallas, and they barely made it. From Miami, they flew to Chicago O’Hare where they were to then fly to Omaha, arriving shortly past eight.

En route to Chicago, their flight from Chicago to Omaha was cancelled because of high winds. Left in Chicago, the airport put them in a hotel for the night. In the morning, instead of a flight from Chicago to Omaha, they were re-routed…..FROM CHICAGO TO DALLAS THEN TO OMAHA!

Twenty-four hours later as to when they were to supposed to arrive in Omaha, the Nebraska crew is sitting in the Dallas airport, waiting for the postponing of their final (fingers crossed!) flight back home.

Luckily, as I found out over the past week, this is no ordinary team made up of some extra-ordinary young women and coach! What would bring many people down, I imagine this crew is turning it into further team-building and reasons to laugh, smile and…be themselves!

God was at work this past week. In debriefing on our plane rides and drive back home, the Ace Hoops leaders all agreed that we were BLOWN AWAY at how well the trip went. It was absolutely incredible, in so many different ways.

For those of you that are reading this because you are family or friend to one or more of these amazing young women, I want to encourage you to ENCOURAGE THEM upon returning. Satan will be taking the travel issues they are presently encountering as an attack on the incredible journey they’ve been on over the past week….as an opportunity to “steal, kill and destroy” what God desires for them upon returning to their lives, in their jobs, educations and relationships.

God is at work! Through these travel “storms,” pray that God shows up and shows out! And that this amazing week together in Guatemala radiates into lives lived more relentlessly for our great God!

Ladies in Nebraska (or, right now….still Dallas!): keep pressing on!