Stranger Pays Hotel Bill For Vienna Volunteers After Canceled Flight

VIENNA, VA — Vienna Presbyterian Church volunteers were trying to return from a mission trip when they, like other American travelers, were faced with flight delays and cancellations. But the kindness of a stranger helped the team weather the delayed trip home.

Airports were expected to be busier than usual over the Fourth of July weekend. Then thousands of flights were delayed or canceled across the country, stranding the Vienna Presbyterian Church's team of three adults and five students. The team had been doing mission work at the Leech Lake Indigenous American Reservation in Minnesota since the previous Sunday.

"The work was hard, we were more than ready to return home!" Sue Hamblen, director of missions for Vienna Presbyterian Church, told Patch. "We tended a 5-acre garden for a local pantry, provided cleaning and minor repairs for a small church on the reservation and assisted with maintenance efforts in the Chippewa National Forest."

Last Friday, the team boarded their flight twice, only for it to be canceled by American Airlines. Hamblen said the airline offered no assistance or compensation for the delayed flight but allowed them to book a flight for the next day, Saturday.

When a stranger from Illinois noticed the volunteers' frustrations, he offered to pay for their hotel. According to Hamblen, he wrote a check to cover the hotel stay before he boarded his own flight.

"His kind gesture meant so much to our team," said Hamblen. "We know we are among thousands of stranded travelers over the weekend who didn’t encounter a Good Samaritan, and while we are still a long way from home, we are grateful for the accommodations provided by our newfound friend."

The team's Saturday flight was again canceled, but they made it home late that night after switching to another airline. Hamblen said the team was "exhausted, but grateful that our delay was relatively short and for the generous person who simply wrote a check to us - no questions asked!"