I will never forget what Guatemala gave me. It gave me a family I didn’t realize I needed and taught me how to forgive others and myself. It showed me that love is everywhere but you have to fight for it. It showed me how I could make best friends in three months, and most importantly God used Guatemala to show me that even in the hard times, this is the happiest I have ever been because it’s the closest I have ever been to Him.
We left Guatemala City Airport December 5th. After a week of hard goodbyes I was really expectant to see what the next chapter had in store. I was heartbroken to leave but also ready. We flew to Florida first and then to New Jersey where we had a 22 hour lay over. Sleeping in a hotel was a weird feeling. Being in the USA was an especially weird feeling. I was so used to not being able to communicate right off the bat that I felt overwhelmed that I could actually understand when people talked to me. It was a fun time to see New Jersey and watch peoples eyes open wide when we told them we were leaving for Africa that night. I spent the day with some friends going on a Target run for necessities and then we ate at Chick-fil-a for lunch. I love the United States so much. As a country, we are far from perfect but you sure get patriotic when you don’t touch that soil for a couple of months.
That evening we headed for the airport to hop on our plane that would leave at 9 pm. That plane ended up being our home for 17 hours! In the airport I called my family for the last time. I cried a lot but I was able to hear about how the Lord is working in their lives. Emotions of thanksgiving and wanting to be with them rolled down my face. Not that I expected life to pause for me back home but I never realized that so much would happen without me. It’s bitter sweet but definitely more sweet because God is moving big time.
On the plane I lost track of time. We crossed time zones and that is something that is still so confusing to me. I couldn’t tell you how much I slept from the time we boarded in New Jersey to when we landed in Addis Ababa. It felt like such a dream. The point is that everything went smoothly (thanks God). It’s hard for me to look on a map and realize that I crossed the Atlantic Ocean and almost the whole continent of Africa. This time I really am far from home.
I am so expectant of what God has to show me here. I know it is going to be a time to really get tight with him. I am so thankful for that. I decided to delete social media for these 3 months. Not like that’s going to be hard because we don’t have service at the base or anywhere near but when I go to debrief in Addis we will have WiFi. I really just want to focus on talking to my family and not be distracted by the notifications that build up after a month and a half. I also might never have the opportunity to go off the grid for 3 months again so I am going to take advantage.
Here’s to 3 months in Africa!
