Pray for a Miracle - Get a Miracle! Part 1
WoW!! Can it really be May already? Oh. Wait. Tomorrow's JUNE?! Inconceivable! [insert cliche about time flying]. Well then. Since my last post was in November (I never claimed I was good at this!), this post will consequently be lengthy. HEY! Bear with me! These tales will be worth your time!
Okay it's time for Stories with Corrie [cue music] - yes, I do this on tour! Once upon a time... there was a girl who was tasked with the impossible. Earlier in the week, due to weather, traffic, and poor judgement, several very important tourist sites had unfortunately been missed! The Supreme Court Building, the Library of Congress, and the FDR Memorial had eluded us; I was thus required to squeeze all of them into our already FULL schedule the last day of our trip - no big deal. NOT! Those things typically take an entire morning and evening to see with a group in a coach bus! To better facilitate this impossible plan, we agreed to leave the hotel a half an hour earlier than originally scheduled. And we prayed for a miracle. Literally, that was my prayer: and God, to better facilitate His plan, removed all possibility for human glory and credit to happenstance - much like the elimination of thousands of soldiers in Gideon's army to a mere 300. The day of do-or-die dawned, and a half hour after our wake-up call the heart-sinking sound of the fire alarm was heard throughout the hotel. Really? I grabbed my tour bag and stepped into the hall. The students and teachers were already gathering in chaperon groups for our exit. Minutes later we were huddled in the parking lot - the Texas kids freezing in their skimpy night clothes, shoe-less feet, and wet hair. For 40 minutes we waited. The hotel staff was a bit like watching an old Laurel and Hardy episode - what a comedy of errors (that story alone would be an hour's read!)!
Finally we were admitted back into the building. But we'd lost a lot of valuable time! However, the parents & teachers oversaw the speedy assembly of our students, the hasty breakfast of our group, and the prompt load of our baggage which resulted in our being only 30 minutes behind schedule: ironically turning our early departure time into the originally scheduled time.
We settled in for the long drive from Rockville, Maryland, to Washington, DC: Monday, it'd taken us 95 minutes. So, I filled the time with our morning time in the Word - reading from Hebrews 11 & 12 for our final challenge about "only one life twill soon be past." Then I decided, to save some time, I'd better talk about the memorials etc while still on the bus that way when we arrived, they could all just jump off and take pictures and we could move on quickly. So, I dove into The Wall, explaining the history behind the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. But before I'd even gotten to the designer, Maya Lin, we'd arrived - in a mere 30 minutes! What?! And the whole area was free of tourists! WHAT!?
By 9am we'd seen the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, & the Korean Veterans Memorial - and I didn't even rush through my spiels! :) Next up: squeeze in the FDR Memorial. By 9:30 - Check! Okay, then the White House photo stop. Usually, the drop and pickup is what takes the longest because buses can't get too near the President's House, so we typically have to walk 4-6 blocks to get there. But, by an act of God, the area police were feeling generous and let us drop AT the White House! So in our 30 minutes time we got the long awaited group photo, the Facebook profile selfies, some of the most powerful student prayers for our government I've ever heard, and a walking tour of Lafayette Park! Score!
Now only 10:30, all systems were go for the Library of Congress! Even after getting through the long security line, we ended up with more time there that morning than was scheduled in our itinerary days before: additionally, we had time to take a picture in front of the Supreme Court next door. As we walked down Capitol Hill to the Air & Space Museum we could not help but marvel at God's graciousness! We were only 15 minutes past the scheduled 12pm lunch at the Smithsonians! But it wasn't over yet...
Like I said, this was their last day thus we must drive to the airport. Said trip is often the most stressful part of the week - especially when driving all the way to Baltimore on Good Friday afternoon! Our bus had some difficulty in picking us up on schedule at the National Archives do to traffic, so we started off 30 minutes behind. Then later a missed exit didn't make us feel any more secure about our ETA. Spotting orange cones and slowing traffic ahead, we braced ourselves for the worst. But before we knew it, the flashing arrows were behind us! Shortly after, our GPS warned us of an accident and a single lane ahead. Yet again, like egg on Teflon, we slipped right by those emergency vehicles with hardly a minute added to to our arrival time!
With plenty of time to spare and an airline assistant with pre-printed boarding passes for our group, the check-in process was painless. Before I knew it, my favorite 8th graders (& chaperons!) from Fort Worth were on their way home!
But it gets BETTER! :) Yes, my group was off, but I still had a journey yet to make: from Baltimore to Sterling by shuttle. I HATE shuttles - typically. The day before, Peter from Maria's Transport had called to confirm my ride for 7:50 AM. Unfortunately, I needed a lift for 7:50 PM! I told him of the mistake; however, he was booked for the evening, but I was to call him nonetheless when I was free to go and he'd see what he could do.
After my group was safely through security at 7:10, I gave Peter a call. Expecting a delay of hours, I was elated when he said he could pick me up at 7:40! It only got better! A merry, quirky, little old air force vet, the sole driver and owner of Maria's Transport (think Dickens character as a Hobbit), Peter was a perfect host! Complimentary crackers, water, magazines, engaging conversation, in the cleanest transport ever, all made the drive to Sterling, Virginia, memorable and comfortable. Upon our arrival to my home for the weekend - Country Inn & Suites - he gave me a box of chocolates and reminded me of his sincere offer to take me out to lunch the next time I was near his home in Gettysburg since I'd been such a novelty - "a young, pretty tour guide." :)
Perfect Day! Praise the Lord!
Okay it's time for Stories with Corrie [cue music] - yes, I do this on tour! Once upon a time... there was a girl who was tasked with the impossible. Earlier in the week, due to weather, traffic, and poor judgement, several very important tourist sites had unfortunately been missed! The Supreme Court Building, the Library of Congress, and the FDR Memorial had eluded us; I was thus required to squeeze all of them into our already FULL schedule the last day of our trip - no big deal. NOT! Those things typically take an entire morning and evening to see with a group in a coach bus! To better facilitate this impossible plan, we agreed to leave the hotel a half an hour earlier than originally scheduled. And we prayed for a miracle. Literally, that was my prayer: and God, to better facilitate His plan, removed all possibility for human glory and credit to happenstance - much like the elimination of thousands of soldiers in Gideon's army to a mere 300. The day of do-or-die dawned, and a half hour after our wake-up call the heart-sinking sound of the fire alarm was heard throughout the hotel. Really? I grabbed my tour bag and stepped into the hall. The students and teachers were already gathering in chaperon groups for our exit. Minutes later we were huddled in the parking lot - the Texas kids freezing in their skimpy night clothes, shoe-less feet, and wet hair. For 40 minutes we waited. The hotel staff was a bit like watching an old Laurel and Hardy episode - what a comedy of errors (that story alone would be an hour's read!)!
 |
| Snuggled for warmth! |
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| "This is not a drill" It was legit! |
We settled in for the long drive from Rockville, Maryland, to Washington, DC: Monday, it'd taken us 95 minutes. So, I filled the time with our morning time in the Word - reading from Hebrews 11 & 12 for our final challenge about "only one life twill soon be past." Then I decided, to save some time, I'd better talk about the memorials etc while still on the bus that way when we arrived, they could all just jump off and take pictures and we could move on quickly. So, I dove into The Wall, explaining the history behind the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. But before I'd even gotten to the designer, Maya Lin, we'd arrived - in a mere 30 minutes! What?! And the whole area was free of tourists! WHAT!?
By 9am we'd seen the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, & the Korean Veterans Memorial - and I didn't even rush through my spiels! :) Next up: squeeze in the FDR Memorial. By 9:30 - Check! Okay, then the White House photo stop. Usually, the drop and pickup is what takes the longest because buses can't get too near the President's House, so we typically have to walk 4-6 blocks to get there. But, by an act of God, the area police were feeling generous and let us drop AT the White House! So in our 30 minutes time we got the long awaited group photo, the Facebook profile selfies, some of the most powerful student prayers for our government I've ever heard, and a walking tour of Lafayette Park! Score!
Now only 10:30, all systems were go for the Library of Congress! Even after getting through the long security line, we ended up with more time there that morning than was scheduled in our itinerary days before: additionally, we had time to take a picture in front of the Supreme Court next door. As we walked down Capitol Hill to the Air & Space Museum we could not help but marvel at God's graciousness! We were only 15 minutes past the scheduled 12pm lunch at the Smithsonians! But it wasn't over yet...
Like I said, this was their last day thus we must drive to the airport. Said trip is often the most stressful part of the week - especially when driving all the way to Baltimore on Good Friday afternoon! Our bus had some difficulty in picking us up on schedule at the National Archives do to traffic, so we started off 30 minutes behind. Then later a missed exit didn't make us feel any more secure about our ETA. Spotting orange cones and slowing traffic ahead, we braced ourselves for the worst. But before we knew it, the flashing arrows were behind us! Shortly after, our GPS warned us of an accident and a single lane ahead. Yet again, like egg on Teflon, we slipped right by those emergency vehicles with hardly a minute added to to our arrival time!
With plenty of time to spare and an airline assistant with pre-printed boarding passes for our group, the check-in process was painless. Before I knew it, my favorite 8th graders (& chaperons!) from Fort Worth were on their way home!
But it gets BETTER! :) Yes, my group was off, but I still had a journey yet to make: from Baltimore to Sterling by shuttle. I HATE shuttles - typically. The day before, Peter from Maria's Transport had called to confirm my ride for 7:50 AM. Unfortunately, I needed a lift for 7:50 PM! I told him of the mistake; however, he was booked for the evening, but I was to call him nonetheless when I was free to go and he'd see what he could do.
After my group was safely through security at 7:10, I gave Peter a call. Expecting a delay of hours, I was elated when he said he could pick me up at 7:40! It only got better! A merry, quirky, little old air force vet, the sole driver and owner of Maria's Transport (think Dickens character as a Hobbit), Peter was a perfect host! Complimentary crackers, water, magazines, engaging conversation, in the cleanest transport ever, all made the drive to Sterling, Virginia, memorable and comfortable. Upon our arrival to my home for the weekend - Country Inn & Suites - he gave me a box of chocolates and reminded me of his sincere offer to take me out to lunch the next time I was near his home in Gettysburg since I'd been such a novelty - "a young, pretty tour guide." :)
Perfect Day! Praise the Lord!
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| Good times were had by all!! Loved those kiddos! |
Oh my gosh that was such a fun trip! Corrie you were an amazing tour guide! :)
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