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Laugh Again with Phil Callaway — Delta 15. Machine-transcribed; use the interactive transcript above to jump the player to any line.
One frog said to another frog, I've got good news and bad news. The good news you're gonna meet a beautiful girl. The bad news? Your meter in biology class. Thanks for joining us today. You're listening to Lafagan with Phil Calloway. It is good news day on Lafagan. That time when we put down the newspaper, flip off the TV and listen to something that will cheer us up. September 11, 2001. If you were alive, you remember it well. It began like any other Tuesday for flight attendant Jerry Brown. She was aboard Delta Flight 15 and route to Frankfurt, Germany. Dolling out pretzels and orange juice when the captain called her to the cockpit to tell her that all airways over the continental United States were closed to commercial air traffic. And they were to land at the nearest airport ASAP. That airport was in Gander, Newfoundland. Forty minutes later, air traffic control gave the wave and they hit the tarmac at the tiny Canadian airport.
As news of the terrorist hijackings and attacks trickled in, 53 planes from around the world altered flight paths and touched down at Gander International. As more news trickled in, crew and passengers learned that terrorists had flown airplanes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Exhausted and frightened passengers stayed on board waiting. No one complained. The next morning, the weary travelers finally de-plained to a new dilemma. The town of Gander had a population of 10,400. The number of stranded passengers? 10,500. So, the resourceful Newfoundlanders went to work. Gander and the surrounding communities converted every high school and gathering place into lodging facilities for the stranded travelers. Every high school student was required to volunteer time to take care of the guests. Passengers went on boat cruises and hikes in local forests. They were driven to restaurants and bakeries. Residents prepared and delivered more food than the guests could eat.
Families were kept together. Elderly passengers were taken to private homes. A young lady, 33 weeks into her pregnancy, was put up in a private home across the street from an urgent care facility. And there was laughter too. No one tells better jokes in all the world than Newfoundlanders. They're the best. One said, did you know why new fee scuba divers go into the water backwards? Because if they went forward, they'd still be in the boat. When the passengers of Delta Flight 15 finally headed home, they called each other by name, swapped stories, and contact info. It was as if we'd been on a cruise, said one. They had seen Hebrews 13-2 in action. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers. Remember Jerry Brown? Our flight back to Atlanta looked like a chartered party flight, she said. A business class traveler announced his plan to set up a trust fund, providing college scholarships for high school students of the town of Lewisport where they had stayed.
He promised to match donations of any amount from his fellow travelers. The totals surpassed 14,000. With Delta's help, the fund now totals more than 1.5 million, and it's helped 134 students receive a college education. Jerry later said, in spite of all the rotten things we see going on, there are still a lot of good and godly people in the world. And when things get bad, they come forward. Reminds me of the hospitality of the early church, and the dozens of Bible passages asking us to show compassion to strangers. Like Hebrews 13-16, do not neglect to do good, and to share what you have. Today would be a great day to exercise your generosity and kindness. You never know what'll happen. That day in Gander, Newfoundland, Nick and Diane Marson met and later married. I guess you could say it was love at first flight. Sometimes we don't need something new.
We need to remember what we already know. That's why our friends at Back to the Bible, Canada, created what's so good about Jesus. A free six chapter booklet that walks through the gospel. Whether you follow Jesus for years, or you're still exploring Christianity, this resource offers a chance to pause, remember, and rediscover the good news. Request your free copy today at laughagain.ca. laugh again, truth bringing laughter to life.
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