It was the last day of our stay in Mexico. Our plane was supposed to leave from Cancun airport at 10 pm, so my brother and I decided to make the most of the day and we drove to Tulum, the site of a Mayan walled city. Its ruins are situated on 12-meter tall cliffs along the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula. We saw numerous depictions in murals and other works around the site which show that Tulum must have been an important site for worship of the so-called Descending god. We immersed into the world of the Mayans and were impressed by their religious and cultural costumes.
With all these memories, we set off to go back to our apartment to get our luggage. We did not get far when it started to rain and, due to several accidents ahead of us, we got stuck in a heavy traffic jam. There was no going back, the traffic ahead was not moving forwards and there was no street to make a detour to get around the accident. All we could see ahead were cars, bumper-to-bumper, and the rain pattering against our windshield. People got out of their cars and started chatting with each other. It took over an hour and a half to travel a few kilometers. Nervously we kept looking at the clock, secretly wishing it would stop ticking. Drops of sweat were forming on our foreheads and we were fidgeting in our seats.
Finally, I spoke aloud what both of us had on our minds: “Will we make it on time to the airport? Will we miss our flight to Switzerland?” We felt helpless in this situation, so I started to pray: “Lord, we can’t do anything now, but nothing is impossible for You. Please disperse the congestion and help us to catch our flight.” I repeated these words over and over again, but nothing happened. I cried out to God: “We do not believe in the dead gods of the Mayans, but we trust in You, the living God. You are powerful and merciful!”
Suddenly the traffic began to move. Somehow we made it on time to our apartment to get our luggage, and headed quickly to the airport and turned in our rental car. The shuttle brought us to the international terminal as we assumed that is where our international flight was departing from. But our adventure was not over yet. It turned out that our flight was departing from a different terminal. It became a race against time and our hearts were beating faster than ever. We rushed to a taxi which brought us to the right terminal. When we finally let ourselves fall into the comfort of our plane seats we gave a sigh of relief.
With a grateful heart we thanked God for making the impossible possible. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1
Manuela Di Franca