The airline stewardess.

With 14 of us in neon lime green shirts going thru the airport, it didn’t take long before we started to get special attention, looks, and questioning glances. Not just the airline people, who were excellent, but all kinds of people. “Hey is this a mission trip?” “Where are you going?” “Mom, they’re going to Ghana, it says so on their shirts.” It was all positive, at the security line, waiting at the gates, throughout the airport. People thanked us for going, and shared stories of mission trips they had been on, and where they had gone. We met a group from Tennessee who were going to Ghana and then on to Togo, on a mission trip of their own. The group leader, (wearing a Tennessee hat no less) was even excited that we were from Michigan. “Oh, I’ve got to tell my wife”, the guys syas, “she can sing Hail to the Victors on a moments notice.” A woman from his group, who Jessica Smith and I were talking to, asked about our story. Which Jessica told perfectly. This woman was going on her first trip of this type also, and was going because her daughter was going. So it was a really neat conversation, but then the PA came on and we had to go stand in another line.

The same woman from the Tennessee group walked back up to us about 10 minutes later. She had a roll of pennies that she gave us. “Here,” she says, “for your project. I brought them because we thought it would be fun to give out pennies to the kids as a kind of gift or souvenir, from America. So, go ahead and hand these out to your orphanage kids…”

But on to the stewardess. On the Delta flight from Detroit to Cincinnati, we had Joan as our stewardess. One look at all those green t-shirts, and she immediately wanted all the details from the kids. Not just where we were going, but what where we doing in Ghana and why. “Well, what is this Penny Project?” And then, “Well, my goodness that’s a lot of money to raise, and that’s a lot of work. Good for you, so young, too!”

She went back up front and gave her speech about seatbelts, etc. “I’m Joan, I’m the best Delta Airlines stewardess ever, ha ha. No I’m just trying to be the best Delta stewardess ever, if you need anything please ask.” Then, midway thru the flight, she comes up to Dennis and hands him a $20 bill. “For the kids,” she says. She has her change purse and she keeps digging. And before she was done, Dennis also gets some Euro change, a few quarters, and two giant size gumballs. “You can’t have my wings, but get something good for the cute little ones, well even if they’re ugly. They’re all cute when they’re young, like kittens. Sometimes they’re not so cute as cats, but as kittens they’re all cute. And have a great trip.”
Thanks, Joan.