09/27/2025
Dr. Chris Harper has done missions work outside of his office practice on occasion. He came by the missions itch naturally, of course, by observing his father, Dr. Oliver Harper and his mom, Mrs. Virginia Harper, doing missions work in Indonesia when he was growing up.
This is a story of one of those missions trips that Dr. Chris Harper was on. He writes:
Our Christian medical team was coming back from doing volunteer missions in the slums of Brazil one summer.
Despite being early to the airport for our return flight to the US, we found that the terminal seating was already nearly full. Some of our team grabbed the remaining seats, but I just found a place on the floor next to a wall. Sure, it was a bit dirty, but there was no way I was gonna take a seat from some lady who might need one.
Besides, it had been an exhausting week and so, using my backpack as a pillow, I decided to take a little nap.
Our team of Christian volunteers was anxious to get back home to their loved ones. Many of them, like me, also had work to return to the very next day.
We figured the flight might be overbooked due to the packed terminal and we all had first-come-first-serve economy seating so, when they finally announced it was time to start boarding, everyone rushed up to the front to get in line - except me - I just relaxed.
I figured that if I’d let everyone else go first. If I got bumped from the flight, I could always call my medical practice back home in Alabama and tell my staff to reschedule my patients. Sure, it would be a hassle for everyone and certainly would hurt financially, but at least I could afford it, whereas others might not be able to. So, I decided that if it came down to it, I’d give up my seat so they all could make the flight.
When everyone else had boarded, I casually walked up to the gate and handed my ticket to the lady at the desk.
She looked up at me with a worried look on her face and in a heavy Brazilian accent, said, “I sorry sir, no seats on plane.”
“That’s ok,” I said calmly with a big smile to assure her I wasn’t going to become irate. “I figured the flight might be full. I wanted to make sure everyone else had a seat. I will just wait for the next flight.”
Her face relaxed and she smiled back at me, “No sir, I am not clear. No more seats for your ticket.”
I figured she was trying to better explain that I’d have to catch the next flight, so I nodded politely and reassured her I wasn’t mad. She placed my ticket on the counter, wrote something in Portuguese on it, gave it back to me and motioned me to go down the jetway.
I was confused, but I followed her directions.
At the end of the corridor, the stewardess took my ticket and read what was written on it. She smiled at me and then led me on board to a first class seat right up front.
“No, ma’am.” I said, “There’s been a mistake. I have an economy ticket.” I pointed to the back of the plane.
She smiled again and explained, “You were kind to let others have their seats and you must have been kind to the woman at the boarding desk too, because she wrote on your ticket for us to take very good care of you on this flight. Economy is overbooked, which means you’ve been upgraded to first class.”
Let me tell you, I was treated like a king on that flight! When the meantime came, they brought two entries and my glass of Coke was never empty! They gave me extra pillows and blankets too. I slept like a baby all the way home with my legs nice and stretched out.
Some of my team who were seated up front in economy saw all this going on.
When we arrived home and gathered for our last goodbyes and a prayer, I was asked how come I was in first class and being treated like royalty. “We’re supposed to be suffering missionaries for the Lord! What gives?” our mission leader jokingly asked.
I mustered as pious a look as I possibly could, pointed to Heaven above and explained, “Have ye servants of our Lord not heard? Tis more blessed to give than to receive, the first shall be last and the last shall be first!”
We all had a good laugh!
