Africans dressed for a snowstorm

I arrived at the Liberian airport in tears. I pulled myself together to clear security and check-in. Good thing the flight was not full because the airline did not have my reservation. I boarded the plane with a heavy, exhausted heart. I attempted to settle in for the 7 hour flight to Brussels. Full of emotion and wanting to cry, I closed my eyes and started to pray. A few hours later I woke up and enjoyed a lovely airplane meal of rubber lasagna. It actually tasted amazing! With all the packing a good-byes during the day, I had forgotten to eat and I was ravenous. I laughed out loud when I saw a Liberian walking down the aisle wearing a stocking cap and the thickest winter jacket. I looked around the plane and realized all the Africans were dressed for a snowstorm. Bless their hearts! I arrived safely in Brussels and hit my first wave of culture shock. The airport was huge and decorated for Christmas. I missed spring and fall, so it is odd to think Christmas is coming! There were so many white people and none of them were smiling. My travel buddy Karoline and I sat in the corner with small tears forming in our eyes. We smiled when a Liberian women and her small boy approached us. They needed help making a phone call. I resisted the urge to grab the little boy and kiss him all over. Karoline helped the woman and said it was all worth it just to hear her say, “thank-you-oh.” A few hours later, I said good-bye to Karoline and we went our separate ways. It was perfect for Karoline to be the last person I said good-bye to. She was one of the first people I met on the ship. She was from Canada and when we met, we found out we were both nursing graduates from Trinity Western University. We even shared the same favorite professor. Karoline is ending here 3 years of service with Mercy Ships and our last week on the ship; she had the assignment of training me for my role of charge nurse next year. In essence, she is passing me here baton of service. Pray for her as her adjustment will be very difficult. I slept the majority of my 9.5 hour flight to Chicago. I did wake up for all my wonderful airplane meals. I do not know if the quality if airplane food has greatly improved or if my taste buds were really tired and out of shape, but I thought the food was divine! I had grapes! It was awesome. I have really been craving fresh produce and those 7 little grapes were delicious! I cleared US customs and was granted entry back into America! The airport was cold! I had gone from 99* F weather to 32*F in Chicago. My flip-flops were not cutting it. I guess it did not help matters that I made my first meal chocolate milk, a chocolate milkshake, and a crisp salad! The proper milk was incredible. I grew up on powered milk, which I am totally accustomed to, but I never could get used to the boxed room-temperature milk on the ship. I was pumped to have some real milk; I bet my calcium-depleted bones appreciated it too. The shivers that went up and down my spine were worth it as the smooth, milky beverages coated my throat! My lay-over was 6 hours in Chicago. After sobbing on the phone with my parents, I enjoyed a 30 minute massage from a little booth in the airport. I then called some of my best friends on the ship and was blessed to hear their voices. I feel asleep on the plane from Chicago to Salt Lake City, before the airplane took off. I was shivering and the Latin man next to me loaned me his sweatshirt. Even though I was totally out to the world, we spoke in Spanish and I thanked him for the use of his sweatshirt. I might have been dreaming it, but I think he told me my Spanish was fairly good. Oh, the inner conflict of my love for the Latin culture and language, but my growing passions and current call to Africa. God works in mysterious ways. Smelly, weary, and beyond the point of confused, and jet-lagged, I arrived in the arms of my wonderful God-fearing, parents. We quickly snagged my luggage and started the 2.5 hour drive to Idaho. After 39 hours of travel, I arrived at my child-hood home. I stood in the huge, spacious living room of my parent’s home and stared at the wall. I wanted to sleep, eat, use the toilet, shower, run around like crazy, cry, scream, and sleep all at the same time. After a few minutes of indecision, I settled for a shower. I took a 2 minute shower and even shut the water off and on in between the shampooing process. My parents were proud of me. I have learned many good things from living on a ship in Africa! Confused and uncertain of what time it was or which country I was in, I feel asleep thanking God for my African Adventures and that His story with me and adventures for me are not finished yet. More to come.