"Guess what! I'm standing on my front porch. Guess what is in my hand? It just came in the mail... My driver's license and my USA hat. I just thought you'd want to know."
Mark was on the phone. He was just relaying the end of another miracle. This man walks with God. Nope. This man runs and jumps and dives and does stunts with God as much as he breathes. Mark is part of the reason why Sylvester Stallone has prayer scenes in the Rocky movies. Mark is part of the reason why there are articles linking Sylvester Stallone with God and Faith. News tries to cover this up, publicity agencies try to cover this up. Nevertheless.
I had left Mark in Albuquerque without a driver's license, he had lost it at the last instant before Laileigh and I had to catch our hotel shuttle to the airport. I had just put it into God's hands and left Mark there.
"You have two extra hours to catch your plane, Mark, that Lai and I don't have. Your plane doesn't go out until 3. We have to go right now to catch ours at 1." And I had taken Laileigh and left.
Soon the texts started, "Angel, I have a picture of my driver's license on my phone, that will be good enough for the airport, don't you think?"
I answered, "No, Mark, you need to FIND your driver's license. Security at the airport is NOT going to let you get through the check point without identification. You are NOT going to get your tickets in Albuquerque or Houston without your driver's license. You HAVE to FIND it." And Lai and I were chatting away unconcerned, pretty much, in the Hilton shuttle and we arrived at the airport. I gave the driver $10. as a tip.
Why wasn't I concerned? Well, because Mark has friends. Daniel lived there, Gigi had a place there, the guy who ran Comic Con was there. All of Mark's students and Convention Speaker guys were there. I wasn't worried. I'd seen Mark in action too many times now. He is very very good with people. Mark befriends the maid. Mark is buddies with the big shots, all of them. Mark tells the waitresses about Jesus. No one forgets Mark, everyone not only remembers him but remembers him fondly as if he is their special friend. Mark does this for Jesus. He's like this for Jesus. Mark saves the world for Jesus.
"Mark," I text feeling just a tinge of guiltiness, "If I get all the way home and once Laileigh is safe and sound back in Texas, IF you are still in New Mexico I will get in Swan and come back to get you." There. Duty done.
Lai and I got our boarding passes, checked our one purple suitcase (Laileigh likes purple, she's 4), took our shoes off and back on through security check point, and saw a Panda Express in the food court. We had plenty of time, two hours to kill. We ate then we were still hungry so we ordered and ate again. We meandered towards our gate. We stopped at the big statue of an Indian leaping up to touch a big flying bird. I took Lai's picture. "It's Harry Potter, it's Harry Potter!" was how Lai saw the Indian statue, I guess because of the big owl-like bird. Harry has an owl.
Mark called. "Where are you guys???!!!" I told him we had stopped to eat, were at the statue and heading for A8, our gate.
"Where are YOU?" I asked.
"I'm looking for YOU, I must have walked right past you. I'm at your gate," Mark answered. His stunts with God are just miracles, normal everyday miracles. Lai and I stopped for snacks to take onto the plane.
I called Gigi. "Mark's at my gate. Without his driver's license." "WHAAAT???" Gigi exclaimed, grasping the significance of that little bit of information. "HOW DID HE DO THAT???!!!"
I don't want to go into details because I don't want to get anybody at the airport in trouble but Mark got his Albuquerque boarding pass, his Houston boarding pass and went through all the check points on just a smile and a prayer. When Lai and I got to our gate there was Mark. We gave him a hug and got in line, I'd meandered right up to the last minute and we only exchanged a few words. "Bye!" I sort of thought he'd get held back in Houston where he had to change planes but nope, he sailed right through that too.
"Guess what I'm holding in my hand, Angel? My driver's license and my USA cap, I really like that cap." He then proceeded to tell me about his friendly chat he'd had with one of the Hilton registration desk gals, that had caused her to remember him and to mail his stuff to him.
”Where do you think they found it, Mark? Maybe when we were eating and you pulled all that cash out of your pocket and paid the bill with it. You said you kept your driver's license in your pocket sometimes.... No, that couldn't be it, the waitress would have noticed and given it back..."
He suggested maybe it fell on the floor. We don't know where he lost it, all we know is that it is now back in his hand, his favorite USA flag baseball cap is back on his head, and he made it through 2 major airports all the way back home without any identification. That's Mark.
I write these stories down for his book. I'm envisioning them as a type of journal of actual experiences with him. I think I'll call this one, "Mark Beat Us to Our Gate." Amazing.
Oh and I said, "How did you get from the Hilton to the airport?" He said, "the shuttle." I said, "but you weren't even a guest of the Hilton, that shuttle was for their guests, how did they let you ride it?" He said, "I just told them I had just missed the shuttle my family was on because I couldn't find my driver's license and they took me straight there. I gave him a $5. tip."
I said, "Well, I gave him $10. maybe that was it."
But no, Mark just has a way about him. He just walks in faith and miracles follow him around and run to catch him. xo Angel
Copyright 2022 Angel Isaacs All Rights Reserved Written January 24, 2022.
