The trip didn’t start well. Because we had to leave for the airport so early in the morning (we had to be at the church at 6:00am), we met the night before to drop off our luggage and pack some of the extra supplies we would need to take. When we arrived at the church that evening, we were given the news that one of our team-members, Mike, would not be able to go with us. That afternoon his wife had broken her knee jumping into a pool to get her young son.
I woke up June 2, 2006, the morning of our trip, with a sore throat, a low-grade fever and sinus congestion. That, combined with the early hour, made me a not very fun person to be around. One of the men’s Bible studies at Grace had arrived at the church that morning even earlier than us to prepare a pancake breakfast for the team and our families. It was a beautiful way to leave, having shared a meal with our team and our families being able to fellowship together.
It was an interesting scene to watch that morning. Gary sat with his wife and two youngest daughters, Allie and Lindsey. Gary and Allie would be going on the trip with us; Lindsey would leave for six weeks in Peru a couple days after our departure. I found it a beautiful commitment to the Lord’s will and ministry for Gary to travel with us rather than see his youngest daughter off.
In another corner, Beth cried as she said goodbye to Daniel. She, too, showed her commitment to the Lord in leaving her husband for ten days, and in leaving on their fifth anniversary.
Soon, we moved toward the bus to head to the airport. It meant the world to me that Kay Brown was there to see us off. I didn’t have any family there, so just to have a friend to hug and say goodbye to and to know there was someone there praying for us was such an encouragement. Outside the bus, Scotty said goodbye to his wife and son. As he hugged Kyle, Scotty reminded him that in going on this trip he was doing what the Lord wanted him to do.
We climbed on the bus and I sat with Kara, my prayer partner in front of Ava and Lana. Throughout the bus there was an air of excitement and wonder mixed with an element of nervous tension. Leaving the country, leaving families and businesses, was a new adventure for most of the team. My carry-on bag for the trip was huge and took up more space on the seat than I should have allowed when I held it on my lap. I think maybe, in some way, there was some security tucked inside next to my Bible and journal.
During the bus ride, Danny passed out an information pack to everyone on the team. As Danny explained the contents, each team member looked over a list of words in English and Spanish that we would be teaching to the children in Ecuador. The last item we discussed was a sheet that split our team into five potential small groups in case we were able to separate with the teenage students into discussion groups. The magic number five came from the number of translators available: Lana, Nate, Dan, Jonhattan and me. That was the moment I became nervous.
It had been over a year since I had been in a Spanish class and just as long since I had attempted to communicate in the language. I love the Spanish language; it represents for me the people group the Lord has called me to minister to. But it had been a long time since I had used my knowledge of the language regularly and the responsibility of facilitating and translating a group discussion, in truth, terrified me. In front of the group, Danny asked if I could handle that. I answered with a yes, and promptly began praying.
We arrived at the airport, unloaded our baggage and then passed through check-in without incident. We arrived at our gate, number nine in the American Airlines terminal, and settled in. Now, settling in is quite a feat when you consider that we were a group of 26. Nevertheless we settled in, just in time for our gate to be changed to the next one down, number ten. So we moved and again, settled in. At Gate Ten, we split up. Ava, Beth and I walked down to the Starbucks, got our supply—the last good cup of coffee any of us would have before we returned to Georgia—and made our way back to the gate. We got back just in time to move again. They changed us back to gate nine. By the time we got there, again, there wasn’t time to even attempt to settle 26 people in. We stood as a group, for just a few minutes, until our flight boarded.
My large bag and I made our way down the aisle, doing our best not to injure anyone already sitting, and found my seat near the back of the plane. My seat was on the right side of the plane, on the aisle. Todd sat to my right, in the middle seat, and Andy Hall was across the aisle from me. I was excited because I knew neither of these men and was eager to get to know the people on my team.
The flight to Miami passed without event. I journaled some, talked with Todd and Andy and laughed at Nate who had fallen asleep before the plane even began moving. In my journal, I wrote about church the Sunday before we left. We had sung the song, ‘You Said,’ which always makes me cry. I plead with the Lord that morning for Him to allow me to see Ecuador turned over to Him and lives commissioned to His service. As I sat on the plane that morning, I believed, confidently, that He would honor that request. I knew it not just because I know it is His desire that none should perish but because in my heart I had a peace that the Lord would give me Ecuador and hearts there to pursue for Him.
No comments:
Post a Comment