JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Nineteen adults and children from Jacksonville had their mission trip unexpectedly extended after thousands of flights were canceled at Heathrow Airport in London due to a power outage.
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Initially, the cancellation of their flight took the members of Jacksonville’s Harvest Community School by surprise, with member Brandon Rossi saying that at first, he was nervous, especially after receiving a text message at 4 a.m. on Friday, which read, “Your flight is canceled due to a temporary closure of London Heathrow Airport caused by a power outage.”
The flight was scheduled to take off later in the day, and its cancellation meant their trip to Ely, England, to spread the word of God was extended, forcing them to scramble for adjustments.
And they were not alone in their predicament.
According to the Associated Press, about 200,000 passengers were stranded after more than a thousand flights were canceled due to the shutdown of Heathrow Airport.
The fire at the electricity substation caused flames to shoot into the sky and knocked out power to over 60,000 properties late Thursday night.
Despite the challenges, Rossi noted that the leaders of the group were more concerned initially, but the students began to encourage one another, saying, “God’s got a plan.”
That plan included rebooking the earliest flights available for Monday, and despite the obstacles, Rossi and the group expressed nothing but commitment to continuing their mission.
“We’re going to follow that plan and be bold in the community,” he said. “We’re going to essentially do what we’re called to do, which is to be here and love the people here and continue to build the relationships we’ve already cultivated.”
Rossi confirmed that the group will leave London to head home this coming Monday.