Thank you to Hal, Shelli and Matt for sharing this mission with me.
Grace On Wings was contacted last week to transport a 66 year old Matt from Rochester, MN to his home in Chatham, MI. Matt has terminal lymphoma and will be going home to transition to hospice. His wife Kelly left the day before to head back home and get things ready for him. They have one son who lives near by in Marquette. Matt is a retired welder/pipe fitter.
The sun was already up and shining as we departed Indianapolis. As we take off, I am always amazed at the formation and beauty of the clouds. I spent most of the flight just gazing out the window.
We arrive in Rochester and are greeted by the ambulance crew. The short ride to Mayo is a familiar one. We transport to and from here often.
As we enter Matt’s room, his nurses have him all packed and ready to go. You can tell they will miss him. He has been here since early April. After a quick bedside assessment, he is transferred to our cot and we are on our way.
As we are leaving the floor, one of his nurses asked us to take good care of “their Matt”, He obviously made friends while he was there. We are back at Nellie before long and Hal greets us. The Dalai Lama has just arrived and his jet is parked next to ours. Pretty fascinating to see all the black SUV’s and security.
Hal prays over Matt, he is loaded into the aircraft and we are on our way. It is a quick 53 minute flight to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Lots of green, green and more green trees and land everywhere! Matt is a little fidgety during the flight and anxious to get home.
As I open the door of the plane, warm air blows inside. Ahhhh, one could get used to these temps! Matt is transferred to the ambulance and is on his final leg home.
We say our good-byes and in a gentle voice, he says thank-you. You can see in his eyes that he is very grateful.
Our crew heads into town to grab a quick bite of lunch before heading back home. The ride into Marquette is rather quiet as we are all just drinking up the beauty of the north.
I kept a look-out for moose and bears! After lunch, we walked down to the water and just enjoyed a few minutes of sunshine and warm air.
Shelli and I could have stayed longer, but Hal wanted to get airborne quickly because of storms heading in. Once up in the air, we did see some wicked storm clouds, but God protected us and we made it back home safely.
Please keep Matt and Kelly in your prayers.
Luke 6:36
“You must be compassionate,
just as your Father is compassionate.”
Gina Barram
