This is something Tracy Sarris wrote ( she is here with First Baptist Church) after our experience on the plane. I believe you will enjoy it.

Louise

Monday morning 3 a.m. came too quickly for our Haiti Mission Team. Fourteen willing and eager Believers heading out to do something to reflect God's Glory. Things started out with prayer, donuts and hot coffee. The ride to the airport held an air of expectation and laughter as team members started their journey toward Haiti and lifelong friendships. Stories of previous trips mixed with reassurances for those on their first mission trip. The Spirit was there and was beginning to prepare us for things to come. Throughout the day God showed His Presence. He was there is the last minute need to check oversized carry-ons without having to pay the $200 in fees. He revealed Himself in the scales falling from the eyes of American Airlines staff allowing them to realize that those funds could be used for the work in Haiti. He exposed His Power in our rush to a connecting flight delayed just long enough for the Team to arrive. Another God moment was when the mechanics discovered a gas leak on the plane that we had just boarded. Our spirits remained high as we waited for a new plane on which we would finish the last leg of this journey,seeing God at every turn, feeling His Touch. Yet again God preparing us for what was to come. Constantly revealing that He was there. You see, that last plane almost went down. The storm that was bearing down on Haiti during our descent caused the plane to careen from side to side as we attempted to fly into Port Au Prince. The feeling was that of a poorly planned amusement park ride. Instead of hearing the reassuring sound of the landing gear making contact with pavement, the plane went up quickly, the nose at a 45 degree angle as the pilot pulled the over 200 passangers and crew of flight 803 back into the sky. THe view from the window as runway lights, lightening and nothing but clouds. Later we learned we were less than 500 feet from the ground. If that pilot had not acted so quickly we would have been the latest story on CNN, statistics...number on a chart indicating lives lost to air travel in March 2009. Talk to anyone on that flight and one word keeps coming to the forefront...prayer. The crew did their job that day and for that we are thankful, but ultimately it was The Hand of God that lifted American Airlines 803 to Port Au Prince out of that storm. His Plan March 2, 2009 did not include a loss of life but if it had we WOULD NOT have become only statistics, numbers or names on the news. We would have given testimony, glory and honor to our Lord through obedience unto death. That night five mission teams, over half of that passenger list, lived out and almost died Paul's statements in Phillipians 1:19-21. And for that and the courage provded as only God can in times af great trial...I am thankful. Blessings, Tracey "I will have suffiicent courage so that now as always, Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death