testimony time

Fun story for you.

Coming back to Toronto from Finland we flew to JFK on Finnair, the most amazing airline I have ever traveled with. Our flight landed and we got off around 4pm and our connecting flight was to leave around 6pm. Cutting it kinda close already this did not take into consideration the fact that our connecting flight was to leave out of LaGuardia, meaning that we would have to take a cab there. Also there was the issue of getting through customs. Welcome to the American immigration system...aka terrible. The three Americans got through fine comparatively speaking - we still had to wait a long time because there were only two officials on duty. Not smart. The poor non-Americans had to go through a mile-long line to be checked and there were nine of them. Joe, Carter, and I pulled all the baggage and waited for the others. By the time we finally got the whole team together it was 5:15. Umm, will we make this flight?

So we start heading...um who knows where because we certainly didn't know where we were going. We had to back track to give our suitcases back because they had been tagged through to TO and then we head off. Well, then we have to go back because well, we don't have any boarding passes so where are we going to go? As we stand at the counter we were asked why we didn't have our boarding passes by at least three people at least seven times. Well, Helsinki should have given them to you. Why didn't Helsinki give them to you? 

Now it is 5:40 and we are freaking out and all praying in words and tongues under our breathes and the lady helping us is freaking out. There is no way we will get a taxi and make it to LaGuardia in time but there is a flight that leaves from JFK but it's scheduled for 5:55 and like I said, no one has their boarding passes. A wonderful man calls and asks them to hold the plane which they agree to (P.T.L.) and the lady frantically prints off our passes sending each us off as soon as we get ours. "RUN!!! GOOOO!!!" It's all coming along until they get to Peter who is South Korean and Philip whose passport wasn't working (??). We all go, run through security, and dash through the terminal to the very last gate in the airport.

All are sweating by the time we get there. I have never been that late for a plane. You could tell they were inches away from closing the door without us but we came trickling in, but I was looking for Peter and Philip, desperately hoping they did not have to stay a night in New York without us. Finally they showed up too with their own story!!! YAY. It was such a relief to know our whole team was on the same flight and that we could just get home and not have to stay in NY for a time (even though Joe lives there and would have taken very good care of us). Sorry to all those on the plane who waited 40min for all of us to get on the plane. I think we finally left around 6:30. Amazing they waited for us. Thank you, Jesus.

And all our luggage was at Pearson when we got there. yay.

Another funny thing...Carter who was born in Canada but lives in America had to go through secondary security when we got to Toronto. Guess they didn't believe he was Canadian. haha.