Traveling 

As I go to bed, my alarm is set for 3:30 am. I wake up to a bright light about 50 feet from my window,  the sound of a loud engine starting up, and a school bus headed downhill at 3:28. I hop out of my bed wide awake, turning my alarm off, while I’m throwing on a sweatshirt and comfy shorts. I grab my backpack, filling it with my phone, keys, a Granola bar, and an empty travel coffee mug before heading to assist the visiting team with their early airport departure. I top off my mug, and we are on our way at 3:52. No hint of sunlight, the only sound coming from the noisy roosters next door. We are merging onto the winding streets towards Guatemala city with a few other motorists who are out at this time, the public busses filling with people headed to work. Only slowing down once due to a semi stopped in one of the two lanes, we arrive at the airport at 4:32. The driver and I head back in the empty school bus, pulling in at 5:24.

As early as it was, I enjoyed it far more than I thought I might’ve. I’ve never gotten to see the streets of Guatemala at this hour. I’m used to seeing sunlit mountain views, rolling hills, busy streets, and swerving motorcyclists. All I saw were the few lights across the storefronts illuminating the sides of the streets and lights scattered across the mountains, allowing me to create the rolling horizon line for myself, using the spots of light as a connect-the-dots puzzle.

No one was walking up and down the streets selling freshly cut mango slices, flowers, or sweet rolls to those sitting in traffic, the only stores open were those attached to gas stations, the rest locked down with a rolling metal door (like we would imagine a car repair shop or the doors at Costco). The only figures I saw alongside the streets, aside from those getting on the busses for work, were the security guards manning the banks, car dealerships, and grocery stores. About ten minutes before we made it back to the orphanage, I started seeing a touch of blue in the sky and the outlines of the mountains turning red with the sun rising behind them. We arrived just in time for me to catch the end of the sunrise over the orphanage property at the top of the hill.

In September, I will have to leave Guatemala for just a week as my visa is allowing me to stay until September 27. That means I have to find some time where things aren’t too busy around the orphanage, make a decision, find flights, and make arrangements for rides. Of course, I will miss being with my 105 kids everyday, but I am also getting anxious to see so many I haven’t seen in the past couple of months. A parent. A close group of friends. A 4-legged friend. A Sunday church service. A Wednesday night gathering. And a couple of stores, restaurants, and experiences I’ve been missing. All of those things can be found in Florida… and in Texas, as well as some scattered throughout the rest of the US.

Being a missionary includes having to make those difficult decisions of purchasing only one round trip ticket, when there are at least 2 states full of things and people I’d like to visit. With some help from family and the timing of my visit, I knew it would be best if I visited Florida this time around, even though I was still unsettled with not getting to see my supporters in Texas as well.

It just so happens that one of the first (and cheapest) round trip flights I found takes me to Palm Beach Airport, instead of Miami, (at least 1.5 hour drive difference) and gave me a 9 hour layover. Can you guess where the layover is?……Yep, I get to spend a few hours with some of my closest friends/family in Dallas before heading to visit my other friends/family in Florida.

I’m not sure when my next 4 am airport departure will be… maybe the next one will be my own on September 12!

***I will not have a working cell number while I am visiting, so be sure to email me, What’sApp me, or Facebook message me if you want to get together during my visit! I should be able to respond whenever I am on Wifi. Looking forward to seeing you in almost a month!***