Road Warrior: Emergency landing

I've been on 12 planes in 7 days. Yup, 12. One in particular has a pretty incredible story attached to it. Let me tell you what happened...

I was traveling to Grand Rapids with a friend from my label, Christina, for a show featuring Britt Nicole and Downhere. We had to connect in Detroit before heading to Grand Rapids, and about five minutes into our second flight, as I was just settling in for a nap, we all heard a very loud "boom"--a sound that you should never ever hear on an airplane. It was followed by a smell you should never ever smell on an airplane--smoke. Everything started to shake, and the flight attendant in the back where we were sitting looked scared. Not typically a good sign.

I then heard her shout "emergency landing, 5 minutes" to a pilot who was sitting near us. (We learned later that in 25 years of flying, this pilot had never had to make an emergency landing. I didn't know whether to feel better or worse about that!). It turned out that we had blown our second engine and had to go back to Detroit to land and get off the plane. We landed relatively smoothly and were greeted by fire trucks and a "tug" that pulled us back to the gate.

Friends, I must tell you, this was one of the scariest experiences of my life. Talk about feeling out of control! I prayed like I haven't prayed in months. It hit me during those harrowing 15 minutes that all the little stuff I worry about and dwell on day in and day out means absolutely nothing. NOTHING. God is so much bigger than my worries, and I have so much to be grateful for that I don't often thank Him for--like my life, for instance. Truly, so much becomes clear when you're a few thousand feet up and you're running on one engine. As I prayed, I asked God to show me who I could be a witness to rather than focusing on fear. I turned around and saw a woman about my mom's age sitting all by herself and looking very scared. I touched her arm, and she began to cry. She grabbed my hand. All I did was hold her hand for the rest of the flight, but she cried and cried. I prayed for her quietly and smiled, trying to show her that all would be well. And thank God it was true. He answered all my prayers and kept everyone perfectly safe. Hallelujah! He deserves all the glory.

This woman (I don't even know her name) was on her way to her daughter's wedding. I let her borrow my phone once we landed, and I heard her tell her daughter that "this nice girl held my hand through the whole thing and made me feel so much better." Sometimes it's the smallest things that show God's love the most. She needed to know she was not alone in that moment, and God used me simply because I was available and willing. He absolutely amazes me by how He moves and works in people's lives.

Well, they put us on another flight, and we arrived safely (though late) to the venue. There was enough time for a sound check and a quick trip to catering, where I managed to spill an entire plate of chicken and green beans on my lap! As if that wasn't enough, on the way back to Nashville, I spilled a whole glass of water on my lap. Not sure what was going on with my hand-eye coordination this week...

The show was great, though, and I really enjoyed getting to meet so many great people in Grand Rapids. Thanks for coming out and for all the prayers for our trip home! We made it safely. Britt and Downhere rocked it. I forgot to mention that the guys from Downhere were on the same flight as me, and we introduced ourselves once we finally landed. Experiences like that somehow bond people, so perhaps we'll be friends for life! :)

That's all for now. God is good. I'm off to NY today to play with Daniel Kirkley, Jaime Jamgochian, and Scott Krippayne this weekend--all friends of mine! So check back soon for more road stories. Praise God for keeping us safe!!!!

Francesca