I Played the Part of Tom Hanks in “Terminal”
OK, so I didn’t get on the 2pm flight to San Francisco out of Anchorage (see the previous post here), so I started playing Tom Hanks (as in the movie “Terminal,” where he gets trapped in the JFK airport terminal for days on end — when his country is in revolution and he can’t return, nor can he enter the U.S. without a valid passport). So — to pass the time — I toured the building, walked from one terminal to another rather than taking the shuttle, checked out the top level of the parking garage (where I could see the mountains best), got acquainted with security personnel after going in and out of security a dozen times, bought an Alaskan t-shirt, found cozy corners where I could use my laptop, and checked out special areas of the Anchorage terminal — such as the display of stuffed wildlife (which I took ridiculous photos of) and tried to find the Northern Lights tunnel to the parking garage that has special lighting effects on the ceiling. My next flight option was an 8:55pm to Dallas, which I also was not able to board. I was the last and only standby passenger left standing! What are the chances of that happening again and again? And why didn’t I just buy a ticket to the lower 48? For three reasons:
- Even if I got to San Francisco, Seattle or Denver, I wouldn’t have been able to move on at this point anyway. Why not continue trying to get on a free flight overnight?
- When the airline offices opened in the morning, we felt it was possible they could help me (through Chris’ Pilot position) to purchase a discount ticket from Alaska Airlines.
- Most importantly – there is a Global Food Crisis in our world right now, and I would rather give more money to Compassion’s Food Crisis fund than purchase a $500+ ticket. Think of the children that could receive meals! [I will give to the fund again later in the week].
But here is the most amazing thing of all — I did not grumble, complain, or become anxious, angry or resentful towards God — which may be the first time in my life I faced a 26 hour trial without going one or more of these directions. I must admit, I became very fatigued and did shed a few tears when I didn’t get on the 2pm “wide open” seating of the flight to San Francisco. But I thought of the clouds that had covered Mt. Denali/McKinley while we were there. We had seen the entire mountain as we approached it, and felt so blessed to be one of the 20% or less to see it. But by the second day, the mountain was surrounded by clouds and we could see only the base at times, the summits other times (there are two on Denali), and occasionally both base and summits with the middle part obstructed. We also saw the mountains in the misty fog & clouds when we went to the Kenai Peninsula. Often, we would see fixed telescopes set up for tourists at turn-outs, and we realized there were huge mountains all around us, though we couldn’t see them for the clouds. We talked about the fact that we don’t always see God, but we know He is powerful and present. He reveals Himself in little bits and pieces, and occasionally we see a good deal of His workings. Other times He is silent.
When I cried after the 5th and 6th missed flights, I said to Him, “Lord, it’s hard to trust You when I can’t see you. It doesn’t feel like you’re doing anything to help me, but I still choose to trust and believe You are here,” and my faith didn’t waiver (I must add, again, that it has waivered many times in similar situations in the past). The only reason it didn’t waiver was because of my early morning devotion which told me (in advance of the trial) that He was present — “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (Exodus 33:14). I determined to trust Him and watch to see how He would get me out of this mess. Amazingly, when I finally had a chance to read the next devotion, it included this scripture: “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). He had already hedged me in before and after the trial with the exact words I needed to hear from Him!
By the way — mountains covered in mist and fog are awesome as well as mountains against a blue sky! We got to see both, thanks to our wonderful Creator. Meanwhile, here are some of the silly photos I took around the airport while I was playing Tom Hanks (keep in mind, we did see & film these same animals in the wild, so I realize it was ridiculous to take photos of them behind glass – not exactly what my friend Tom Mangelsen of “Images of Nature” galleries would have filmed — but hey, I was bored)! Also, note the beautiful mountains beyond the ridiculous street signs and venicles! All part of the journey home. Watch for Part 3 and Part 4 which follow. 
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