What Happens in Las Vegas
M “May I Tell You a Story?” BY DICK DUERKSEN
28
March 2021 AdventistWorld.org
onte’s plane was to leave from the Las Vegas airport terminal at 3:30 p.m. With the COVID-19 restrictions, the mass of travelers waiting to fly, and the intense Vegas traffic, he was determined to be early. Way early. Being early is especially difficult because the rental car return center is about three miles from the airport. “Be here at least two hours early,” the sign said. Monte obeyed, arrived three hours early, gave his black Nissan SUV rental back to the kind folk at the rental counter, and settled into the airport shuttle bus. He was relieved and pleased to have made it on time. It had been a good trip, not to the city of Las Vegas, but to the mountains beyond where he had been recording a new gospel video series for Native American people, encouraging them to trust God for answers on how to live in this lost world. Now his focus was no longer on the programs. Now he was thinking about finding the right counter, checking his luggage, moving successfully through
the security checkpoint, and boarding the plane. On time! When he got to the counter to check in his luggage, he reached for his driver’s license and felt terror grab his heart. His wallet was missing. “I had to find the wallet. It had US$300 in it, and all my credit cards! I had to find it! I searched through all my luggage, and then remembered that I had put my wallet in the glove compartment of the rental car! Oh, no!” *** The airline attendant used his passport to check in his luggage and issue him a boarding pass. “You have an hour and 40 minutes,” she said. “That gives you time to get back on the rental bus and see what you can do.” Monte sprinted to the curb and waited impatiently for the rental car shuttle bus. When it came, it took forever to disgorge passengers, load new passengers, pack in the luggage, and move off toward the rental cars with the speed of a very tired snail. When the shuttle finally arrived at Avis, Monte managed Photo: Skitterphoto
