Stuck

It's amazing the number of strange things that have happened to us in Lyon that have never happened to people who have lived here their entire lives. On our first visit to Lyon in December 2011, we got stuck  between floors on an elevator for about half an hour. Bad enough, yes, but we also happened to be stuck with two very grumpy French people who obviously thought it was Greg's fault that the elevator decided to call it quits. The very next day, our city bus crashed into a bus stop shelter, smashing glass all over the sidewalk. Thankfully nobody had been inside the shelter, or they would have probably been killed. Frankly, after that trip, it's pretty incredible that we pursued a permanent move to Lyon!

Yesterday we attended an Anglican worship service in a part of the city we're unfamiliar with. On the way home, our metro car suddenly came to a screeching halt in a dark tunnel between stations. We smelled rubber burning from the brakes. The lights flickered, then went out completely for several seconds. Lori was not a happy camper. An announcement came over the PA system, and we could make out a few phrases like "système électrique" and "merci pour votre patience." About 20 or so minutes went by as workers tried to reboot the system to no avail. Then we heard another announcement including the word "sortie" which I knew meant "exit." Sure enough, people started lining up at the doors. We actually had to jump out of the metro car onto a narrow ledge that served as a  makeshift walkway and walk back through the dark tunnel to the nearest stop. It was a great adventure!

This afternoon a friend and I met for coffee at (I'm embarrassed to say) Starbucks, and then we walked back to my apartment so I could show her our new home. We entered my apartment building and started to go up the stone staircase which led to my floor. We do have a teeny tiny elevator in the building, but we're only two flights up, so I rarely use it. As we rounded the first turn in the staircase, we heard a loud banging sound from below. I thought it was coming from the ground floor apartment, so I paid little attention. Then we heard what sounded like an alarm. I thought, "is there a fire?" My friend and I looked at each other quizzically, and headed back down the stairs to investigate. We heard the loud banging again, and then a muffled voice. It was coming from the elevator. Instant flashbacks to that first trip to Lyon. Thankfully, the elevator was not stuck between floors, but was just simply sitting on the ground floor, refusing to open its door for the poor lady stuck inside. My friend and I managed to open the outer door and, using all our strength, we pried open the inner doors, releasing the captive woman. She merci beaucoup'ed us over and over again. I managed to introduce myself and told her that I was her new neighbor (although I think I actually said "they is my new neighbor"). But Madame was very forgiving of my broken French and was all smiles, mainly because I had just rescued her from a tiny little box. She said that I was welcome to come over and visit any time.

Being stuck is never fun. But sometimes it leads to opportunities you never would have experienced otherwise. At the very least, it gives you a great opportunity to pray. And sometimes it might even lead to a new friendship.