Step Into the Impossible: Miracle Flight to England
by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.
"When you have no other options but God and the body of Christ, something beautiful is bound to happen..."
Having no money to my name, I was determined to make it to my friend's wedding in England even if that meant having my bags packed and showing up at the airport without a ticket...
For many months, I had felt that God was sending me to England to be there for my friend's wedding. It was literally impossible for me to get there because I had recently finished a work project and was still in search of my next paid assignment from the Lord. Even though I was not able to come up with the money before the wedding, I still felt led of the Lord to be present for my friend's wedding. I had RSVP-ed months before by faith. The week leading up to the wedding, I still had not received the breakthrough I had been praying for in getting an airplane ticket. However, I continued to plan and live my life as if I would be there because I really felt that God was sending me for such a time as this. We recently were able to rent all 3 floors of Destiny House for the ministry and I had not been back to England for nearly 3 years since living there from 2007-2011 and completing my Ph.D. I cleared my schedule and was believing God wanted to bless me with celebration and rest in addition to the wedding. On Monday, May 26th, by faith, I sent out my newsletter telling people that I would be in England later that week. I felt I needed to do this as a declaration over my life and act of faith believing that what I felt I heard God say would come to pass in His way.
I had arranged to start my journey towards the airport on Tuesday. When Tuesday morning came however, as I was getting ready to go, I hesitated and thought I needed to do more research on airfares and be more prepared. As I began to research more though, I felt unrest and could feel this thinking was filled with doubt and fear. After being back and forth about when to leave, I looked at my bank account and realized I had no other options. There would be no point in staying in town because my situation was impossible even to stay. I felt that the breakthroughs I needed into this new season would be on the other side of this journey. With literally only a full tank of gas in my car and my bags packed, I decided to go towards what I believed was part of my destiny for this time in my life. I knew that the longer I delayed, the more my faith would diminish and that I would possibly never step out to move in this direction or I might miss God's timing.
ON THE WAY
In the Bible, I have noticed that many miracles happened "on the way" when people responded in faith to move towards the direction Jesus gave. I was praying for the same to be the case for me as I headed towards San Francisco Airport by faith that I would make it to England by Friday for the wedding. I still had no idea how I would make it there at this point. Some of our Destiny House family, Matt & Lisa Shutte, and Brittany came along for this faith adventure. During the car ride, we saw a beautiful and strange looking rainbow cloud in the sky. I received this as a promise from God! Then, I got a call and offer to teach online for a theological seminary in fall! Promise in the sky and job breakthrough was a great start to this adventure into the impossible!
STOP OVER AT THE HOME OF PEACE
We of course headed straight for the 1st healing home on the West Coast, The Home of Peace, founded by Carrie Judd Montgomery. I did not feel the need to rush to the airport that night so we spent the evening resting and catch up with some good friends there. Almost immediately after we arrived, someone there pulled me aside and handed me a check for $500 towards my trip! If I had hesitated or waited to go on my journey the next day, I would have missed seeing this person and her husband since they were leaving early the next morning. Praise God for giving more confirmation and providing through the body of Christ! Then on Wednesday, we all spent the morning in the chapel soaking in God's glory and enjoying being in His presence together as family as we prepared for the airport.
WEARING DESTINY
Knowing that if I was to make it to my friend's wedding that I had to catch a flight that day, I decided to accessorize myself with the testimony ofGod's incredibleness. Something beautiful happened with our Destiny House family on our last Monday night all together that was truly and sign and a wonder. He merged two separate gifts into perfect alignment even matching the Silver to Gold theme of my life message in the mix. This sign from God symbolized Ephesians 3:20 to me. That is exactly what I needed Him to do that day in blessing me exceedingly abundantly above all I could ever ask, hope, dream or imagine. I wore this promise of His faithfulness around my neck and feasted on His goodness to help strengthen my faith to step into this next breakthrough.
After our time at Carrie Judd Montgomery's home of legacy, it was then it was time to head to SFO. At this point, there was just enough gas to get us there and I now had $500 to get a ticket that would cost over $1500. I enlisted many of my prayer warrior friends as we headed to SFO. Earlier in the week I had asked Heidi Baker who had done this several times in the past to give me a testimony and pray for me on my similar journey. She shared how one time she only had $100 but felt led to go to New York. She showed up at LAX and when she was there a sale price ticket from LA to NY showed up for $99. I recalled her testimony time and time again as I headed towards the impossibility that awaited me.
When I arrived at SFO, I felt led to get in line at the United Airlines line first. I handed the man my passport as if I was on a flight and he typed in all the info. I wondered if by some miracle a ticket would appear. He couldn't find it ether. Having never gone standby, I asked him about it and he asked me who my buddy was. I told him Jesus because I had no idea what he was talking about. Then he told me to fly standby I needed to have a friend who worked for United. He offered his hand in marriage for me to be his buddy so he could give me a ticket but I politely declined. However, I felt God's favor on that interaction more than the following ones where I went to counter after counter seeing if there was a cheap ticket and not getting anywhere. After awhile of no doors opening, me and the crew sat down, not sure what to do next.
NO OPEN DOORS
I walked towards the bathroom and began to entertain the idea that what if I didn't make it to my friend's wedding. After trying every door I could think of so far, I became very sad when I started to believe the lies that this would not work out even though I had originally really felt God on it. Doubt, discouragement, and sadness overcame me.
Thankfully the others who came along still had hope for this breakthrough. I already encouraged them to go explore the city and that I would stay at the airport until something opened up somehow. They wanted to see God move so they stayed with me there and waited.
After knocking on several more closed doors, while at the airport, I texted some prayer warriors to pray for a miracle. I told them that I was at SFO, no open doors and I needed either $1000, a buddy pass, or to be transported. Then, in relation to the conversation about the buddy passes, I thought I would message a friend to see if she worked for United. I knew she worked for an airline but last I time I spoke to her she was not able to help with tickets so it didn't even cross my mind to reach out to her. Crazy Cristina, a girl I discipled over 13 years ago and even baptized who has since become a very good friend of mine, lives in Colorado and called me soon after I messaged her. I followed the United man's suggestion to ask if she worked for them. She didn't work for them but she did work for another airline that could also do buddy passes. Within moments, she was typing my information in as we were walking to the airline counter. The flight was leaving soon, so we had to walk straight there. I was giving her my passport info and writing down reference numbers enroute while my friends were carrying my bags and leading me in the right direction. When we made it to the kiosk, still on the phone with Cristina, I typed in my information on the check in computer. On the computer screen, my name popped up and then out popped a ticket from SFO to London!!! The presence of God fell in such a powerful way in that moment that I will never forget for the rest of my life. The Lord didn't let me down. It was a miracle. Cristina ended up getting my ticket for only $578. This was wonderful, just 1/3 the price of a normal ticket and only $78 over what I then had. After getting that sorted and checking in, while still at the airport, a friend wanted to come and say goodbye to me and said he had it in his heart to give me money while in Redding but he missed me. We walked over to an ATM and while at the airport, I was given another $200. My ticket paid for now and even a little extra spending money for the journey. God is so good!
I boarded the flight and was also blessed with a friend John hearing of my overnight layover in Chicago and arranging for Abi Grace to let me stay at hers. Right when I landed I received a text from Abi, who I had never met, saying that she had driven an hour to come pick me up and take me to a place to sleep for a few hours. The nice man sitting next to me, after already hearing all about my crazy testimony of getting on the flight, was shocked at God's goodness and hopefully inspired to learn more about the true and living God after hearing about all that God had done. Then when I arrived in London, I was so blessed when friends from Birmingham, England, Jo Bullock and Davina Kempson drove out to pick me up late that night.
After a great night's sleep at Jo's house, I had the incredible privilege, honor, and blessing to celebrate with the beautiful bride Kay at her wedding. I am so thankful to God for this miracle of turning water into wine on behalf of bringing the family of God together for such a special time as this. I love how Jesus' very first miracle in the Bible was when He turned water into wine at a wedding celebration. Just goes to show how much He loves to celebrate life and bring family together in miraculous ways. I am so thankful in how God came through for me by using the beautiful body of Christ who surrounded me and believed with me for this miracle. May God receive all honor and glory for this miraculous gift!
STEP INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE TODAY
I share this testimony with you, not that you will show up at airports whenever you want to go somewhere, but that you will respond to the leading of the Holy Spirit to step towards even impossible situations when He calls you to move. As you step out in faith and move towards the things you think He may be leading you to, including closed doors and impossibilities, trust in Him and watch as He parts the waters on your behalf to bring you into a greater measures of His abundant life for you. I also want to make sure to say that while God broke through in a marvelous way this time, I also have many other stories of knocking on doors and nothing opening up like when I moved towards buying a house by faith a few months ago. I went as far as I could go and in the end it never came through even though I felt it was my house in the Spirit. Even though the results did not become what I hoped then, I feel great that I was led by the Spirit as far as I could go and because of that I have no regrets. I still believe that one day, that same door will open up to me.
May this current testimony and breakthrough of transportation to England to celebrate my friend's wedding inspire you to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit regardless of the circumstances. If God is sending you somewhere, as you stepoutin faith to follow His leading, even along unfamiliar paths, He will make a way where there is no way in His perfect timing. Where in your life do you feel the Lord leading but it seems too impossible to even try? Maybe the Lord put that dream in your heart. Maybe the impossibile circumstances exist so that you can learn to rely more on God and the body of Christ. Maybe God wants to bless you so ridiculously so that He alone can receive all the credit. If He did not even spare His own Son, how could He not also, along with Him, give us all things? (Romans 8). God loves to love us. He will part the waters before you as you move towards Him.
Isaiah 43:16-19
"This is what the Lord says - He who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters...'Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past (unless feasting on His faithfulness and testimonies of old). See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.'"
Several days before my miracle occurred, I texted a friend and said, "I am believing God will make a way and that this testimony will be sent out to dismantle strongholds of fear and infuse this generation with hope in a God who loves to love us!" Would you please help spread this good news that God is for us and loves to work on our behalf as we step out in faith towards living the abundant life that Jesus died for us to have (John 10:10). May you receive a fresh impartation of faith today to believe that what God has initiated, He will indeed bring to pass regardless of the surrounding circumstances (Philippians 1:6). May the courage of Joshua and Caleb be imparted to you today; I pray that as you keep your eyes on God, lean into Him, and step out in faith towards the promises He has given you, that you will walk in new levels of intimacy with Him and enjoy new fields in the Promised Land that He has destined for you.
To be inspired with similar stories check out Heidi Baker's Birthing the Miraculous or my other testimony where I felt God similarly turned Water into Wine on my behalf. To learn more about Carrie Judd Montgomery's faith which has taken my faith to a new level check out Life on Wings and/or Spirit Flood. See also God Holds the Key to Our Destiny on this blog.
Thanks for coming on this faith journey. Hope you have enjoyed the ride. May this testimony mark you with courage to cling to God and to step out in faith towards His promises no matter what the surrounding circumstances. God is for you and so in love with you today!