We’re Samaritan’s Pursers

So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. (1 Corinthians 15:58) 

David and I were fortunate to have each purchased “Go Wild” passes from Frontier Airlines about a month before we became engaged. My original goal was to travel all around the country while working remotely. After all, I can work from anywhere, so why not? 

The annual passes are Frontier’s way of filling their empty seats for a one-time fee. With some flexibility, travelers can fly anywhere Frontier flies from their chosen airport for the discounted price of tax and fees alone. Sounds impressive, right? 

Unfortunately, tickets are challenging to book as they’re generally only available the day before flights are scheduled to ensue if extra seats are available at the last minute. As a result, David and I have only been able to utilize our passes once over the past year. 

Nevertheless, determined to “get our money’s worth,” we found a flight to San Diego via Denver over the MLK holiday weekend. At $50 for each round trip, David and I couldn’t let the opportunity pass us by, so we booked the flights and headed to stay overnight in Denver, connecting to San Diego in the early afternoon the next day. And so, with our tiny, under-seat suitcases in tow, we set off on another adventure together. 

Frontier is a no-frills airline. Seats, backpacks, carry-on luggage, beverages – everything extra comes at an additional cost. To keep our expenses down, David and I only splurged on two seats together in our four-flight, 2-day travel extravaganza – on our final leg home, a week after it started. As a result, we were massively blessed to be accommodated when I asked if David could sit beside me after final boarding on our first flight when no one claimed the empty seat. Not only did the attendant consent, but she allowed us to move to a back row where we could sit together. 

In the rush of the day’s preparations for our journey – including packing my work laptop and cold weather gear for our short stay in Denver’s sub-zero degree weather, we didn’t read our daily scripture passages together before departing. I offered to share my Kindle App with David during the flight, but he surprised me by saying, “Just read it out loud to me, love,” so I did. 

Right there in row 30 – just two rows from the back of the plane – I read the day’s assigned passages to David from the Old Testament, New Testament, and Psalms. Just as I was about to read from Proverbs, I was interrupted by a loud, strange noise – like that of a slowly opened, creaky door. It sounded like something from a horror movie, and it was coming from somewhere on the plane. 

“What was that?” I asked David. 

“I don’t know, love,” came his reply. 

Without warning, David yelled, “He’s choking,” jumped up from his seat and rushed forward. 

That’s when I spotted a man’s ball-capped head – just four rows in front of us – leaning into the seat beside him. As flight attendants rushed to help, a grey-haired gentleman wearing a mask moved into the seat beside the floundering passenger. With adequate help in place, David returned to his seat beside me. 

“What happened?” I inquired. Before David could respond or take a seat, he jumped back up again, yelling, “He’s choking” one more time. 

This time, I saw the passenger’s arm raised and flailing above his seat while his body shook. The gentleman beside the passenger began offering words of reassurance as he stroked the dreadlocked head of the man who’d now lost his hat and shook about. Over and over, this Good Samaritan assured the troubled passenger that he was okay, using the man’s first name – who we all now knew was Matea.

David was still standing beside the row where all this was happening. Joining the Good Samaritan in his actions, David reached over to stroke Matea’s head, offering his steadfast assurances. By now, fight attendants provided paper towels to wipe Matea’s brow and face, which David later explained had become wet with Matea’s saliva. 

As the situation calmed, David returned to his seat beside me, explaining, “He had a seizure of some sort.” 

Having filmed most of the incident on my cell phone due to David’s involvement, I looked over to my amazing husband, kissed him, and told him I was incredibly proud of him. 

“Thank you, love,” was all David said. 

“Let me tell you a story,” I began. 

As David listened, I recounted when I stopped to assist a woman who appeared to have fallen outside a restaurant. I was accompanied by a team member who had joined me for lunch. Without hesitation, I rushed forward and knelt where the woman had situated herself on a large landscape rock, inquiring whether she was okay and asking if I could help. 

Much to my surprise, my teammate quietly suggested that “Perhaps [I] should leave her alone,” noting, “It’s not our business. Let someone else help her.”

In shock, I replied that I wanted to help and advised him to go in without me. After assuring myself that the woman was okay, I informed the wait staff to help her and joined my friend at a table inside. 

“I can’t believe you involved yourself,” I remember him saying. “It’s not our place to do so.”

His response stunned me as I wanted to do more, not less, and I felt terrible leaving the woman when I did, even though others quickly responded to attend her. I’ll never forget how I felt after hearing my teammate’s response to my actions and his apparent lack of concern for someone needing help. 

Concluding my story, I explained to David, “That’s not who I am. And I know that’s not who you are, either. We’re Samaritan’s Pursers. We help whenever we can, however we can.”

“That’s right,” said David. “We do.” 

As I kissed my husband again, I reminded him, as I regularly do, how perfect we are for each other. Without the hearts God instilled in us to help others, we might never have met during our fateful first Samaritan’s Purse deployment in October 2022. 

“It’s sad to think that more people are like my friend and the other travelers in the Good Samaritan story than those who ever want to help,” I continued. “They cross by on the other side of the road, unwilling to get involved. But not us.”

“But not us,” David agreed as he kissed me back. “Just another adventure to add to our story,” he said, smiling. 

The rest of our flight blessedly continued without further incident. We later learned that the grey-haired man who had rushed back to help was a doctor. “Thank God,” David said. “We’re fortunate everything was okay, so we didn’t have to be diverted to land somewhere quickly.”

More than that, it strikes me how blessed I am to have a man seated beside me who has a heart like mine, a heart that is always willing to jump up and lend aid to those in need. Every day, I thank God for such a gift. 

May we all be more willing to help and serve whenever and wherever God leads us. Whether it’s at 40,000 feet of altitude, high above the ground on an airplane, in another state hit by a natural disaster, or in a quiet workplace with a friend, we never know when the call to serve will go out. I pray we will always be ready to do so without hesitation. 

After all, the world needs more Samaritan’s Purses and Good Samaritans. Wherever He leads, will you go?