Nikki arrived first to Atlanta airport followed shortly by Brynne and Katlyn. After warm embraces and sweet salutations, they settled in to wait for me. It was fifteen minutes or so before they spotted me triumphantly trudging toward them. After hugs and hellos we got in line to board the plane. As they called for our passports I reached in my pocket...and my wallet wasn't there! Aye! I was snippily sent running across the airport (and I mean allllllllll the way across) to check my arrival terminal.
Needless to say, I missed the flight. The worst part? The girls took my carry-ons with them. That included my computer and all contact information for anyone. It was an adventure for sure. Praise God, I found my wallet! The wonderful people at the Delta desk and my fantastic travel agent were able to get me on the flight the next morning and put me up in a hotel. It all turned out rather fun on my end (after the initial panic). I can now say I know my way around Atlanta airport like a boss. ;)
My arrival to Honduras (a day late) was stress-free and easy going. The flight was fantastic, customs went quickly, and they actually had my luggage (something that can't be said for Brynne and Katlyn, we're just now going to get their bags). As I walked out of security I heard "Mama!" across the room and soon found myself, once again, reunited with my sisters.
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I knew I had to leave for the Toronto airport at 1:00am on Tuesday, so I did not want to fall asleep. This was my first experience flying solo! I arrived first in Atlanta and looked for my teammates right away, not knowing who I'd see first, 20 minutes later I saw Brynne and Katlyn walking towards the area to board to Tegucigalpa. It was so nice to see them after two weeks. 15 minutes after they arrived we saw Kristen walking towards us. We were all reunited! We were standing in line when they told us to get our passports and boarding passes ready. Kristen's face seemed shocked and she dropped her two carry-on bags. Brynne asked her what was wrong, and Kristen realized she had left her boarding pass and wallet all the way back where she had landed. She went to the desk and ended up running from us, so we knew she was headed back to get her wallet. Brynne, Katlyn and I boarded the plane without Kristen. We sat on the plane praying that she would come through the doors, but she did not.
When I got through into Honduras by myself (Kristen back in Atlanta, Brynne & Katlyn claiming lost luggage) I had to explain to our directors what was going on. We didn't know how the other two girls were doing, so we stood and waited for 30-45 minutes for them to come through. We were trying to get ahold of people back in America to let them know about the one that missed her flight. It was something we didn't expect as we were preparing for our arrival into Honduras.
Katlyn, Brynne and I spent the first day by walking with our directors around town and getting a tiny glimpse of the culture that we are going to spend the next 5 months in. I always have to remind myself that it's December, because the weather is very very warm. I'm loving this culture so far, and am trying to recognize as much Spanish as I can. I've met the family that I'll be moving in with tomorrow, they are so sweet and I'm excited to learn from them. I'm thankful for my family in Christ.
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So, there you have it. We are here. God has already taken us on some adventures and today we move in to our host families. Be flexible they tell us. So we shall try and, Lord willing, will succeed.
Can't wait to hear who you're staying with STEP team!
ReplyDeleteAlso, possibly I'll see you all in January, because I'll be in Honduras for a week!
(For those of you who don't know me, I think only Brynne knows me, I'm Evi and I was on a STEP team 2010-2011)