Heading Home & Reflections (11/15/2018)

‍‍‍‍‍I began the day as I have each day since I arrived in Ahuachapán with a cup of coffee while I have my prayers and devotion.  It's what I do at home, but somehow it feels different here.  Then we are all together for breakfast.  Marilu it's an excellent cook and I will miss her meals.   

After breakfast we all did last minute checks and waited for Brian to arrive.  Then there were the good-byes to Meme and Marilu.  I know I can keep up with what is going on with Marilu on Facebook, but it is not the same. 

Then we were on our way to the airport.  We stopped at the cluster of shops on our way to the airport.  Terry bought a few things, but most of us just browsed.  The was a musical program going on that a few members of the group watched.  Then it was on to the airport.   Since the group was on 3 different flights, we ended going through different entrances.  For the first time in all the years I have been here, this is the first time there was no one for check-in and Tim, Terry, Rich and I were allowed to check-in together.  The security lines were relatively short, too.  When we got through security we waited for Nina and Jhenny and Frank to get through security.  Nina came through a bit after us.  There were hugs all around.  I will miss Nina.  I wasn't used to sing good-bye to Mission team members before since in the past we were all from the same church.  The good-byes to Nina were harder and sadder for me.  I enjoyed having her as a roommate.  I hope she will consider going on a mission with us in the future.  Then Avianca Four (Terry, Tim, Rich and I) headed toward our gate and in search of lunch.  We found a restaurant close to our gate.  While we were eating I got a text from Jhenny and told her where we were. Because Jhenny's and Frank's flight was a lot later than ours the counter did not open for about an hour after we arrived at the airport.  Jhenny and Frank got lunch at the restaurant and then the Avianca Four headed for our gate.  I picked up some snacks for the wait and read.  The plane was an hour late arriving and thus an hour late departing. 

Four hours later we were back home.  As we stepped out into the frigid weather all I could think of was hearing Tim say each day while we were in Ahuachapán "Another beautiful day". 

While it is good to be home, I will miss the rest of our mission team and the friends (new and old) in Ahuachapán.  

I never know how it happens, but somehow in the first day of the mission all these disparate people from different places, different ages and different lives come together and become a team.  And this team is not so much driven by the job, but by the joy of working together.  When I think of the team I will remember the laughter and joking.  I hope those I encountered in Ahuachapán (our team and the workers and the others we met) saw Christ in me.  I know I saw Christ in the people we met and worked with.  The experience was a blessing.  I still have a way to go as a team lead, but hopefully I am growing in the role.  I am so very thankful for the gift of this Mission.Read more