Ever been in a crowd of strangers, but later discovered that you had actually been in the midst of friends and just didn’t realize it? I was recently asked to give a presentation on my missionary work at the 68th Regular Convention of the LCMS. Thirty minutes after touching down in Milwaukee, we were still not allowed to deplane. The gentleman next to me remarked: “We’ve been waiting longer to get off this plane than the flight took from Chicago…” “Yes. It’s ridiculous…Are you in Milwaukee on business?” I asked. “No,” he replied. “I live in the area. How about you?” “I’m a missionary, attending a Convention of our church body here in town.” “Interesting…My family and I changed denominations a while back,” he shared. “The church body in which I grew up had gotten too crazy. We now belong to a church body that teaches human sexuality according to Scripture and also proclaims that Christ’s true body and blood are present in the Lord’s Supper. We belong to the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Ever heard of it?” “My name is Chris. I’m an LCMS pastor and missionary,” I replied with a grin. “Dean… Pleased to meet you!” We shook hands. “Well, I guess it’s divine intervention that we’re stuck on this plane,” I suggested. Dean and I “talked shop” about the Small Catechism, the Lutheran Reformation, and how the Lord is drawing so many Iranian immigrants in Germany to the faith. After an hour on the tarmac, we finally pulled up to a jetway and exited. Dean and I ran into each other at the baggage carousel. Retrieving our bags took another 45 minutes, but it was worth the wait because we saw scores of people also on their way to the Convention, as we could tell from signs, badges, and name tags. By the time all of us passengers from that plane finally left the terminal, we had become quite chummy. Sometimes it takes odd circumstances to let you realize that the people around you who seemed to be strangers were simply friends you hadn’t met yet.
(Picture with Dean, by permission.
The Tiews in Germany 