The beginning a very good place to start… Launch. Two and a half days filled with intense training (more training… as many of you know I already had training camp.) Three days to prepare myself to be gone for 11 months. Yep, 11 months. I left Austin, Texas on a very early July 4th (one where I hadn't really slept at all – too much packing). I flew into Atlanta for Launch. What a crazy couple of days!!! I reconnected with framily (friends that are family) immediately, at the airport. Actually that happened in Charlotte during my layover I met up with my Squadmate Deanne! What a huge blessing! We headed to the hotel once we landed and immediately were bombarded with our dear squadmates who we had not seen in almost 2 months!
That night we ate pizza and enjoyed catching up with everyone and having a time of worship. Friday dawned bright and early with sessions that carried us through late Saturday – "What we need for the race", "Making the Race Better", "How to Share the Gospel", "Offenses Kill Unity", Safety, and "ATL – Ask The Lord". At some point during that whirlwind of activity we found out we'd be leaving for the airport bright and early at 3:30am Sunday morning! There was such a mix of emotions… in a lot of ways I was completely numb, unable to believe that this was and is actually happening.
My three roommates Brittany D., Brooke, Deanne and I decided pulling an all nighter seemed to make the most sense (looking back… I have no regrets I was exhausted but it was so worth it). We made last minute calls to family and friends, repacked our bags, took hot showers, and just enjoyed the company. I had pics… but they won't post… Sorry!!!
The next morning we left for Quiche, Guatemala. 🙂
