There is no such thing as "just another travel day" to Honduras, as for me this is probably the most stressful day of the whole trip. There is a year's worth of work planned and prepped, much of it packed inside some suitcases that may or may not make it down to Honduras with you. This year, we were able to pack our clothes in about 1 and a half suitcases, with the additional 2 and a half just items for the trip (gifts, school activities, crafts, etc...). But this year, we had an extra person to help us out, with Belle coming to Honduras for her first Mission Trip. This was also her first flight in a plane, so I think she was excited about that as well.
Our flight was to leave Birmingham at 6:15AM, so after my one time being late on this trip, our crew was overly cautious, and arrived at the airport about 3:15AM, so yes, it was a very early morning. Only one issue when they weighed the bags, and found that our black bag was 65 lbs. I knew that we had checked and double checked, so asked them to use the other scale where it showed it only 50 lbs. Boom, all 4 bags checked at the right weight, each one with an airtag to make sure we knew it was with us, and off we went to TSA. The previous evening was a last minute planning discussions with the team at church, and all were emotional as our brother Dave Long led the prayer remotely. Dave was one of the strongest advocates for this trip, and continuing our work in other parts of the world. He continues to inspire and encourage me with his words and spirit. Keri Pena thanked God for the small breeze we would have on concrete day later in this week, and I thought of Dave telling me down there 3 years ago that in Campamento the difficult things we "struggle" with in the U.S. are just not that bad, while the blessings of a breeze, shade under a tree, or rain to cool you down on a hot day are amplified blessings that God provides every day. We just take those blessings for granted. There were many moments on this trip, when I just felt like Dave was right there with us, always smiling with a passion to find the next person he could encourage.
Our first flight to Miami, I made sure that Belle had a window seat for this first experience, and my plan was to watch her during the take-off to see her expression, but I think I fell asleep sometime after my belt was buckled. All went well, and we arrived in Miami on-time and ready for our next flight into Honduras a short 4 hours later. So what do you do with your time when you have 4 hours in Miami, well, for the young ones, it was decided that you needed a trip to the far end of the D terminal to see the Lego Store. After that trip, we stopped in a "food court" to get some chinese for the boys, and me a Cuban Sandwich which is a must for me each time through.
When we finally all arrived at the E gate for our trip to Honduras, Belle and I were talking about the trip, and Kim Wasner, sitting two seats over from Belle, overheard that we were from Birmingham, and introduced herself as one of the families joining us there that week. Kim, is the wife of Kevin, who is one of the CRF leaders. She was coming on our flight, while her daughter (Lauren), son-in-law (Conrad), and two grandchildren (Jace and Hannah) had been on an earlier flight, and would meet us at the Palmerola airport. We quickly began what would be a great friendship by the end of the week.
Our 2.5 hour flight into Honduras went well, again with no delays. Also, there were no large bag searches like the year before when we were bringing alot of medicines and toothpaste into the country. This year, we went through customs pretty quickly, all had already printed out their code of completion, and we passed into the country ready for the next step. Kevin Wasner and the rest of his family was there to meet us, and after helping us to bus (Where the boys loved the name on the front "Baja Panty"), he went back to get some pizzas for the ride to Campamento. It is always exciting when the Gringos get to the airport, as we have 3 or 4 guys (always the same) that make sure they help us with all the luggage, as they get a big tip at the end of this quick job. Not really needed, but they are appreciated. Sam and I went back in to help with the pizzas and water, but then Sam got the water, and Kevin had the pizzas, so basically I just helped them back to the bus that they both knew where it was.
We began the 3 hour long ride into Olancho, but this time had so much room as we had a full bus reserved, not the little mini one. It was the first time I have ever been somewhat comfortable on this ride, and not falling asleep on Brandon. We scarfed down some pizza and enjoyed the ride, with one small bathroom stop on the way. Always nice to get back to a place that sells my favorite Salutaris grapefruit soda, so I got two, not knowing if they would have any later in Campamento.
On arrival at the Day Care, we made our way to our rooms, with all 4 of the young boys taking the top bunks, while the old dudes went to the bottom. With the large group of 32 Texas youth coming on the next day, we were pushed to the smaller middle rooms, which were a bit cramped, but nothing we would complain about. Maddyn Moore was there at the day care, and quickly became a part of the Chelsea family, even getting assigned with our girls group in their room.
I don't think anyone had a hard time sleeping on this first night. They even cooked a large meal for us that evening. There was no card playing, no loud talking, just a bunch of exhausted people taking cold low pressure showers before a relatively cool night of sleep.
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