Room Service

Pietro is currently attending a conference called Missione 2016 where John Piper is the key note speaker. This is the biggest conference of its kind ever held in Italy with 1,500 attendees. Being rather drained after the month we have just had with a death in the family, my being gone for 3 weeks, and then having company during the following three weeks. I think the thought of mingling with 1,500 other people was a bit overwhelming to him right now to say the least.

He's a light sleeper to start with, and sleeps even worse when he is in unfamiliar surroundings and especially with unfamiliar people. His first text upon arriving at his hotel last night was "pray for me, my roommate smokes." My heart sank. Second hand smoke (even residual) is one of those things that sets Pietro's allergies raging which then leaves him sneezing like a crazy person, and eyes and nose running so heavily that he is forced to lay prostrate for days on end due to the misery of it. I told him to go and talk to the conference organizers and explain his situation, even though I doubted he would. He didn't see my message until many hours later that night but in the meantime I prayed that God would please provide my husband another room and protect him physically.

His message to me at midnight was, "I just want you to know I got a private room. I am so thankful."

Today he called to explain what had happened. After he had checked into his room he went back to the check in desk, I can't remember why exactly, maybe to pick up his conference packet and there was a woman in front of him who was very upset and irritable that her brother, who had payed for and requested a private room, had been roomed with someone else. Turns out her brother was the smoker from Pietro's room.  Hotel management asked Pietro "if he would mind moving"! They expediently moved him to a private room to accomodate this other man's private booking. 

Not only was he protected from a sure fire allergy flare up that would have ruined his entire weekend, this "mix-up", although I would much rather refer to it as a divine "mash-up", allowed for him to have the luxury of a room to himself  which I know will be a huge blessing to my off the charts introvert spouse as he mingles with 1,500 people for the next three days.