Today’s lessons talk about prayer.  There are all kinds of times that we pray.  We pray in church, at bedtime, at supper, when we are afraid and when we are thankful. 

Sometimes we pray for impossible things, like that the school will burn down and classes will we cancelled indefinitely!  Sometimes we pray for things God knows we don’t need like tickets to Hannah Montana!  Sometimes we want to say a prayer but we don’t know what words to say.  The name of today’s story is called “Elizabeth’s Prayer without Words.”

Now, as you may remember, Aunt Gertrude stays with Elizabeth every summer while her mother and father are away in Tanzania.  And while they have been gone, every night in Elizabeth’s prayers she has prayed “God bless mommy and daddy and bring them home safely to me.”  Every single night without exception Elizabeth has prayed this.

So here we are at the airport, a busy place.  Aunt Gertrude is nervous about airports and all the driving to get here and to park so she is a bit unpleasant.  “Elizabeth, stay by my side!  And stop fidgeting!”   They have been sitting here for over an hour.  Aunt Gertrude keeps checking the computer printout with the flight information that Elizabeth’s mommy gave her when they left for Tanzania last June.  Then she would walk to the big board across the lobby and check all the flight information and flight #432 still said “Delayed”.  They could see that some other people were also waiting for this same flight to arrive, because some other grown-ups were a bit unpleasant and some other children were fidgeting!

Soon, it seemed that the only people left in the airport were the ones waiting for the delayed flight.  And the unpleasantness and the fidgeting turned to worry.  Elizabeth curled up next to Aunt Gertrude and sat very still.  And then Elizabeth said her prayer; “Dear God, please bless mommy and daddy and bring them home safely to me.  Amen!”   And they waited more and more, and more . . . and more.  It seemed like hours.  And Elizabeth said her prayer again. 

Then came the voice over the speaker system that called the names of the waiting families for flight #432.  The voice instructed them to come to a special room where they would receive additional information about the delay.  And all the families left, except that they did not call the Mawakasunga name so now Elizabeth and Aunt Gertrude were the only ones left.

Aunt Gertrude went up to the desk and asked the attendant a question and gave the name “Mawakasunga.  Elizabeth heard her Aunt spell their last name:
M – A – W – A – K – A – S – U – N – G - A. 
She showed them the computer printout that gave the flight information. 

Then she came back and shook her name in bewilderment.  But she said nothing to Elizabeth.  And Elizabeth said her prayer, again.

And do you know what happened next?!  Some people began to arrive at the security gate from an incoming flight.  And soon, there was Mr. and Mrs. Mawakasunga!  And they ran up to Elizabeth and hugged and kissed her and they hugged and kissed Aunt Gertrude and they told them how at the last minute they had to change their flight plans to bring Elizabeth’s cousin Marin back with them LOOK here’s Martin and Elizabeth and Martin jumped up and down in excitement and how they had no way to let Aunt Gertrude know and they were sorry that there was so much waiting time at the airport and how glad they are to be home and how happy they are to see their beautiful daughter. 

They started walking down to the baggage area to pick up their luggage.  Elizabeth looked back and said a new prayer; “Thank you God for bringing mommy and daddy back safely!  And Martin too!  Amen.”  She felt happy!  Then Elizabeth looked at the closed door to the room where the other families went and she felt sad.  And not knowing what words to say for a prayer, Elizabeth said a prayer without words in her heart, for those families, Elizabeth’s prayer without words.  Then she skipped off with Martin!      THE END

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