My Father holds my hand

Since I can remember, I have been told that God is with me always. Isaiah 41:13: "For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, 'Fear not, I will help you.'" I can pray to him at any time, and he will help me get through any situation. I may not see him, but he is always there.

This past July, I traveled by plane to Texas. I was on my way to General Assembly, and I knew no one. I knew I would meet many fantastic people once I arrived because I was meeting the other HELM fellows for the first time. The flight from St. Louis to Fort Worth was approximately one hour, and I knew this was not a busy weekend for travel. I quickly packed Friday night for my early Saturday morning flight. For the first time in my life, I was traveling completely by myself. I was glad to part with my heavy luggage at the check-in counter and continued through the airport with just my purse and the newly released Harry Potter book. I was ready! I got through security successfully and boarded the plane without a problem.

When I sat down on the plane, I noticed the lady next to me pull out her Bible from a bag with a chalice on it. It had caught my attention so I asked her if she was going to General Assembly. She confirmed my hunch, and I introduced myself as a HELM Leadership Fellow. She introduced me to her teenage daughter who was traveling with her. We had a long conversation during the flight; she was one of the sweetest ladies I had ever met.

The plane landed safely in Fort Worth, and I had approximately thirty minutes to find my bag and get to the bus station. I was a little anxious because I did not know where the bus was going to pick me up, and I did not know where to find the baggage carousel. The lady I had sat next to could sense my nervousness and told me she would help me find baggage claim and my bus even though she had made other arrangements to get to the convention center. I walked with them to the baggage claim where we waited and waited and waited.

The baggage conveyor started moving, and my friends got all four of their bags after waiting a short ten minutes. My bag was nowhere to be seen and after thirty minutes when they shut off the conveyor, I was thinking, "Oh, this isn't good." My friend walked to the security desk and inquired about my luggage. The security guard informed us that not all of the luggage had been removed from the plane and a second set of luggage would be coming soon. We waited another fifteen minutes before the conveyor began to move again. We watched more bags being unloaded onto the carousel, but my bag was still M.I.A.

After hanging out at the baggage claim for more than ninety minutes, we walked to the security desk to inquire about my bag again. At this point, I was worried. Why hadn't I taken a carry-on with a few things? All I had was my purse and my book. The security guards could not find my luggage anywhere, so I filled out a form to keep with the airport. I left my cell phone number with the airport, and I exchanged numbers with my friends from the plane. She reminded me that everything would be fine, and it would all work out. She helped me find the bus I was to take to the convention center, and she told me to call her if I needed anything .

I had a great first day at General Assembly despite the lack of clothes, toothbrush, hairbrush, and contact solution. My luggage arrived about 36 hours after landing in Fort Worth. I know that without my two guardian angels sitting next to me on that plane, I would have been frantic in the airport. I would not have known what to do, and I would have been completely and totally lost. They were on my flight back to St. Louis from Ft. Worth, and I am still in contact with my guardian angels. I thank God everyday for sending them to help me, and I am now more aware that God is always with me whether it be here in Girard or down in Ft. Worth. He is amazing and so are his people!

Alexis Westerhausen is in her first year as a HELM Leadership Fellow and is a member of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Virden, Illinois.