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DaysofYesterday
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Name: Em
Country: United States
State: Ohio
Metro: Springfield
Birthday: 2/17/1985
Gender: Female
Interests: I'm just rehashing past thoughts and writings.....mainly....dreaming about the future...things I don't want to have to say aloud....but long to have heard......
Occupation: Student
Industry: Art
Message: message me
Website: visit my website
Member Since:
3/21/2005
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| July 19th, 2004
Last night, was...wow. We hit a bunch of turbulence as we were landing in Guatemala City...but...we made it. [obviously]
We went through customs, got our luggage. Made our way through the
"staring circle" at the airport. (if you've been...you know what I am
talking about.)
Made our way out to find Hearts in Action. We step out, and I see
Adrea!! When I finally made it to her...I just hugged her. I almost
cried. I've missed her so much.
Everyone is so excited. There's just excitement in the air.
It's my SECOND time here.
And I remember stuff.
Everythings familiar.
Smells, signs....
As everything passes by on the bus, I watch. Lights going by, Spanish billboards, Pepsi signs....
Everything.
I'm home, in a weird way. It feels as though I never left.
Me and Nathan were totally rehashing the first trip when we went....everyone is just....sort of....bouncing.
Its so...marvelous. I can't beleive I actually made it back.
And I can't believe I hadn't made it back sooner.
Being back here? Its going down as one of my favorite memories. Ever.
Its too bad its so dark. The hotel where we're staying is pretty, I'm
sure, but we're all tired...and I was glad when they gave us our keys.
Me and Kim and Kayla are in a room, with Danielle and Hill across the hallway.
The floors are tiled, and the beds are nice.
Clean bathrooms as well.
Its pretty nice.
4:30 a.m.
I woke up violently sick. Everything. Throw up and more. I don't
know....its...like...not sick sick. Its this thing I get. Like...its
nerves. In my head. But whatever it was...it kept me up till 6:00...but
I only got to sleep till 6:30.
But the hotel is beautiful. So beautiful. The grounds...everything.
The hotel.
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Us practicing "The Way" at training.
The trip still seems a little surreal. We had an MA meeting last night,
and the trip is so.....exciting sounding. I know its going to be
challenging, but it doesn't sound as rough as the first year when I
went. Even Pastor Mark said that was the hardest year.
I'm glad of that. Because I was expecting rough...so good will be
awesome. If that makes any sense. I know what I mean, so that's all
that matters. I wish I had been able to eat breakfast.
I'm hungry now. :)
July 18th, 2004
In the air as I write. Yesterday was the last day of training, and we
had our dress rehearsal, then performed for everyone. Out drama kicked
BUTT. Even the CTK people were like..."whoa". Pretty neat. Not all of
them are as stuck up as they seem....
After that we were supposed to clean up and head back to the hotel for pizza, and an early night....
But I started to feel down. [Something had triggered me, which I won't
rehash online here....]but just as I was about to get on the bus, Larry
pulled me aside to talk to me. Basically he said, he just wanted to
encourage me, and also he said God was telling him that through this
trip, I'm going to grow and become a true leader. That HE knows I am a
leader, but after this trip, others will see me that way too.
I'm still pondering that.
I'm suprised I didn't cry.
No wonder I was feeling all emo though...I started my stupid period
that night. But at least it'll be over with the first week of the trip.
But anyways, me and my girls ate our pizza and packed, hung out, then
at like 11, I went into the other room and crashed on the sofa for
about an hour. At about 12:15 I heard them all giggling..."sshhh...we
need to go to sleep..." fifteen minutes later,...the alarm goes off. I
had to laugh.
1:00 a.m.:
We all were downstairs, packed and loading on to the charter bus. I
ended up sitting by Nathan, not completely on purpose. But the stupid
charter bus was FREEZING and Nathan kept changing positions, plus I had
terrible cramps, that drugs were not getting rid of! Yay.
So about 5 hours passed, annoyingly, and sleeplessly.
We got to the airport at like 5:30 a.m. and CTK got to leave pretty
much as soon as we got there......us on the other hand? We had to wait
till about 1:00 p.m. for our flight. We basically set up camp by a
balcony and all layed down to go to sleep. I dozed a couple times, but
didn't really fall asleep till Danielle shared her blanket with me. I
was out for about an hour.
I woke up with a totally irrational thought shooting through my brain, which I shall spare all Xanga readers.
Later-
Right. Second flight of the day. Something spilled in my bookbag, and I
think it was that stupid cranberry juice I bought earlier at that stand
in the airport. It wasn't even good, or cold. Not what I was craving. I
had wanted the strawberry melon Tropicana..which I found AFTER I bought
the other stupid juice.
All this is dumb...but so far...nothing profound has happened. Its been
pretty busy and monotonous at the same time. Browsing through the
airport stores...me and Hill looking at books, people buying
snacks....Pastor Mark bought some of us drinks and stuff earlier. That
was very nice of him.
I actually fell asleep on the plane earlier, which was nice. I tried to
sleep on this plane, because Nathan had let me use his pillow [since I
was dumb and left mine in my suitcase]...but the guy next to me has a
little girl on his lap, and got up all fast when she started screaming,
and woke me up. And then the lady in front of me decides to lean her
seat back....as soon as I get comfortable.
So, I gave up.
Now they are feeding everyone...but I'm passing, because we just ate
Subway at the Houston Airport like two hours ago.....and last time I
ate on the plane to Guatemala...I got SUPER sick. So I am trying to
avoid that.
It sucks that the music stations on the headphones SUCK so bad. I've
only heard two decent songs, a Norah Jones, and a Maroon Five one.
Its kind of sad that its dark out right now. You don't really get to
see the full effect of Guatemala from the sky. Its so beautiful. But
then, flying at night is less scary, its more like being on a charter
bus.
I just hope we don't have turbulence. That freaks the living daylights
out of me. Earlier, when we were taking off....we dropped for what felt
like a whole minute (an exaggeration, I know) and my stomach was
like...."vrrrooommmm" and my instincts said to curl up in the fetal
position and DIE.
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| July 15th, 2004 Continued
I did forget some stuff. I forgot my hair stuff....I know. That sounds
so girly and prissy...but my hair is going to have a hard time staying
up without gel. I just want to run to Target real quick. Kind of like a
"last farewell" to the U.S. Something like that anyways.
In some ways....it doesn't seem as though this is real. In like, 3
days? I'll be in Guatemala! Amazing. For the past few years I hadn't
thought this would actually happen again.
One of my major prayer requests for today, and
everyday for the rest of the trip is that I'll see people through God's
eyes. Especially now. Its hard. Somehow? Its easier to see God loving a
dirty Guatemalan kid than some of these CTK kids. I'm ashamed to say
that....but its true. I know Jesus died for Mary S. as well as for the
beautiful children of Guatemala....and me....but its so hard. I'm doing
my best to remember it, and be as real and good in my attitude as I can
be. Thats my big thing today.
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| I'll never forget that day before we left for Guatemala.
It was a terrible day for me.I was so down. So sad. Depressed.
I felt so alone.
My friend that I had counted on the begining of the year to be there for me....wasn't.
I remember I was about to cry, as we said goodbye to Larry. We were setting off to the hotel, for our last night in the States.
I was in a terrible state. I'd just had something bug me so bad....
Larry took me aside right before I boarded the bus....
And he just told me some stuff.
I tried not to cry....but it was what I needed at the moment.
To know someone had faith in me, and cared.
I never really told him how much he helped me out that day. [or at retreat this past year]
Amazing how the people who touch us most, are the ones we forget to thank.
I remember having a bad night. I felt sick. My girls took over the room
with the bed...and that was awesome. They were all giggling and having
a good time....I tried to sleep.
A half hour before it was time to get up, I heard them saying; "We should go to sleep" giggle giggle.
That made me smile.
We get up at two in the morning, packed, and dressed in our orange
shirts to leave for the Pittsburg Airport. We have a charter
bus...which is cool.
Let me rephrase. COLD. Icelandicly cold. Like, if there was moisture in there...it would have snowed.
So the bus ride was pretty bad. It didn't help that I had cramps the
whole time...and Nathan (who was sitting next to me) had the window
seat...plus he kept moving around a lot in his sleep.
We had to wait at the airport for like 5 hours before we could board, because we got there in time for CTK's FLIGHT. Figures.
We slept on the tile....in a circle of baggage, pillows and people.
I didn't mind all that too much...I love airports...but....my emotions were playing real games with me that day.
Maybe because I was tired, worn out....and a girl.
I just remember....when we finally got to Guatemala....in the
airport...I was so happy...and so scared. Scared that I was the only
leader from our church....scared that I didn't really have a best
friend along with me.....
Happy because I recognized everything. And I loved it.
I remember going out to find the Hearts in Action bus....coming down the stairs...and seeing....
Adrea.
I pretty much started to cry.
A familiar face. My big sister. It was just what I needed.
Its cool how God places people in your life right when you need them. Larry...then Adrea.....
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| Just for anyone who has found this....read the dates, ya know? I'm sort
of doing what Danielle did....with the whole missions trip journal.....
So..yeah...the past posts aren't anything I am dealing with now....:)
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