Johnson and her daughter, Jessica, had left Seattle, Washington, on the morning of January 18 and were scheduled to take a connecting flight from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to Greenville, South Carolina. They were set to tour Clemson University, where Jessica is considering attending this fall after she graduates from high school.
Jamerson and her husband, Steve, live in the Chicago suburb of Northbrook and had tried to leave for Greenville the day before, but were rebuffed due to inclement weather in South Carolina. They were making their second attempt, which turned out to be on the same flight as the Johnsons.
Continuing poor weather forced more delays and harried arrangements to get on another flight. After the four endured several more hours of waiting, that flight also was canceled.
Johnson had little experience flying and says she was overwhelmed by all the changes. She dreaded a night spent trying to sleep on the floor of the overcrowded airport with thousands of other stranded travelers.
But, she had begun a casual conversation with Jamerson, who told her not to worry: the couple would gladly put the Johnsons up for the evening. Johnson accepted the offer, explaining “I normally wouldn’t do this, but I was so comfortable with her.”
When the four got into the taxi together, however, Johnson said she had second thoughts about going to the house of someone she barely knew. “I prayed, ‘Please God, give me a sign that I’m doing the right thing.’ ”
Unaware of the silent prayer, Jamerson casually mentioned her church. That led Johnson to ask about the denomination to which the church belonged. Jamerson recalls, “I told her, I’m sure you’ve never heard of it, it’s really small. It’s called the Evangelical Covenant Church.”
“I absolutely burst out into tears,” says Johnson. She attends Shoreline Covenant Church in Seattle.
The four spent the evening laughing about how they were brought together, and the Jamersons introduced their new friends to Chicago’s famed Lou Malnati’s deep-dish pizza, a staple of many Chicagoans’ diets.
“It was not a big deal,” Jamerson says of her offer to house the Johnsons. “It was just a joyful time, and it was wonderful to see God work.”
The four were able to get a flight together the next morning.