The Miracle on the Bus
How the kindness of others changed my life
I flew back from Portugal the other day.
First off…
Portugal is INCREDIBLE.
I will never forget the memories I made there.
I stayed in Lisbon for 4 days and took a high speed train to Porto for 1 day.
Lisbon was great.
Porto was AMAZING!
Such a beautiful city. I highly recommend visiting Porto sometime if you ever get the opportunity.
But anyways…
It was time to head back to Spain.
My plane landed at the Madrid airport.
I swiftly deboarded the plane and snatched my luggage from the conveyor belt. It was going to take over 90 minutes to get to my house.
I had some serious work to do.
I didn’t know:
- how to get home
- how to speak Spanish
- how many buses to get on
It turns out that not knowing how to use public transportation at all is a major disadvantage when trying to navigate a foreign country (lol).
I don’t speak much Spanish which is a major disadvantage in Spain.
I hopped on a bus from the airport. That bus took me to the subway.
That subway took me to another bus. That bus took me close to my home.
BOOM!
Easy enough, right?
Wrong.
Way Wrong.
Mega Wrong.
Who would ever think it would be that easy?
Not me.
If it was easy, everyone would do it.
In total, I had to get on 2 buses and 1 subway.
To a foreigner who has never used buses or subways in their life and can’t speak the native language, this took me 2.5 hours LOL.
A 90 minute trip turned into 150 minutes.
But that’s okay…I had time to kill.
I had to overcome the learning curve.
The highlight of the trip
So many blessings happened along the way.
For example, navigating the subway…
I met this gentlemen.
His name I do not know.
This man changed my life though.
Before I left for Spain, I was joking with my family that I would meet one of my best friends in Spain and his name would be Fernando.
For the sake of not knowing this kind man’s name, we will call him Fernando.
He was such a blessing to meet on my way home from the airport. He helped me in so many ways.
He only spoke a few words of English.
He didn’t understand full sentences from me. However, he was determined to help me.
He helped me in so many ways:
- getting me on the right subway train
- getting me off at the right subway stop
- getting me onto the right bus home
Fernando didn’t have to do any of these things. He could have ignored me entirely.
The Bus
Fernando and I were standing at the entrance of the final bus I needed to get on.
I was trying to give the bus driver a 20 euro note, hoping he could give me change.
He wouldn’t accept it. He needed smaller bills or coins.
I didn’t have any smaller bills or coins…
What in the world was I supposed to do?
Fernando to the rescue!
He found a few coins in his pocket.
Two other kind ladies who overheard the conversation also gathered a few coins for me.
I felt so loved in that moment.
The grace and mercy of God shined bright while I was standing at the front of that bus.
I felt helpless but I also felt guided by God at the same time.
I am eternally grateful for Fernando and those 2 ladies on that bus.
They were so kind and generous for helping me.
They didn’t have to do any of that.
But they did it out of the kindness of their hearts.
It was such a wonderful moment.
I give all credit to God.
God played a game of chess on my journey home that day.
I was the pawn.
He moved me to the right place at the right time to set me up for success.
All Glory to Him.
God provided me with so many blessings that day.
I talked to at least a dozen people on the way home from the airport.
The kindness people showed me is unforgettable.
It was truly a wonderful sight to see.
I wish every person on this planet could have been in my shoes to experience those feelings I felt that day.
Thank you Lord for your guidance.
Thank you for your guidance every day.
I was stressed. But I am blessed. You are my rock.
Amen.
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