So this is my first blog ever. I'm writing from an American Airlines napkin (well, the draft anyway) on the way to Miami from RDU.Thanks for taking the time to read this. I apologize if I ramble or my life is just utterly boring. I write not merely for leisure, but for clarity, as I sort things out in my own head. I can offer little wisdom, but I invite you along for the journey where I expect to encounter more questions than answers. Questions though, can often solve far more than answers ever will.
This particular leg of the journey will begin in the metropolis that is Grifton, NC and hopefully lead us over the Gulf of Mexico to Tegucigalpa, Honduras (though I have my doubts we'll ever get there).
So after a meaningful week of mission camp in Eastern NC, our team prepared to cross continents and cultures. Saturday, which was to be our first quasi-day off in a long time, was laid aside for traveling back to Raleigh, doing some laundry, and catching up on some much needed sleep.
After a delectable DBL 1/4 #er w/ cheese (double quarter pounder with cheese), we returned to the stubborn sound of our van's ignition. Blown starter. Luckily, a friend of a friend knew a good mechanic in the area who put new meaning to the term "grease monkey." Yes, he literally resembled a primate.
A couple of hours and a new starter later we were back on the road and bound for Raleigh. While doing laundry back at my home in Garner, Joey and I could not figure out the dryer. It literally took us 2 1/2 hours to dry one load! Thanks to the dryer miscue we didn't get to the hotel that night until 11:00, just in time for about 5 hours of sleep (not much less than the norm).
I had to pinch myself several times to make sure I wasn't having a terrible dream. "Really? Did you just say our flight is delayed 5 hours?!" It wasn't a dream, this setback would mean we would miss our connecting flight in Miami. There was no way around it, we wouldn't be getting to Honduras that day.The provided food vouchers settled my hunger and the carpeted floor and warm blanket made for a semi-comfortable bed which helped pass the 8-hour airport wait. Perhaps Miami would not be so cruel to us.
These past couple days have taught me a thing or two about patience. Those of you who know me well know that patience is not a virtue of mine. Yet in the constant waiting, delaying, and being in circumstances completely beyond my control, I seem to be finding a peace I haven't felt in a long time. In situations like these, I'm finding the best thing to do is to remain positive; no amount of complaining is ever going to make things any better. I'll spare you the French, but stuff happens. That's life, and the truth is that's where we spend the majority of it: in situations beyond our own control. And if we (myself included) are going to be the people we say we are--portraying generally accepted qualities of peace, happiness, and patience--then mustn't we portray them when we least expect to?
So here I am, writing from my 10th-floor hotel room overlooking the runways at Miami International Airport. This day has been challenging yet rewarding at the same time. Tomorrow morning we will board a plane (fingers crossed) bound for the capital city of Honduras. In a land where time is not much of a concept and things change with the wind, I'm sure today's lesson in flexibility and patience will be of utmost importance.Thanks for taking the time to read this. Once again, I apologize if I bored you. I hope you can all be blessed in some small way from reading this. If it was a waste of your time, let me know know and I'll stop. Have an awesome day (or night)! God bless.
