Start of Travels

June 19, 2010


Dark and early I wake up to leave on the most anticipated day of my summer. It is 6 a.m. and my family and I are heading for the airport, first stopping for breakfast, and then meeting my grandmothers before printing my tickets and locating my gate. It is sometime after 8 a.m. and my plane has been reported delayed, but nothing can damper my mood because I don’t care as long as I make it to California 

By 9:15 a.m. I am saying goodbye to my family and walking towards security to find another seat where I wait another half hour before finally boarding the plane to Chicago. Flying above Lake Michigan I can see fish swimming below and the man next to me is on his way to Hawaii with his family. The cool thing about meeting him was that he is Bethel’s volleyball coach’s brother. Many on our flight were quite frustrated, including myself and my fellow “Bethelite” alumni because we were all going to miss our connection flights because of the delay.

Yes, I missed my flight to LA, but no worries because I am on the next flight in that direction making a connection in Colorado Springs first. Flying above the Rockies, the Grandest Canyon of them all, and terrain not like what I have seen before from sky or ground makes me feel like I am seeing the world from God’s eyes. The world must seem small to God, but to me the horizon never ends. I have seen so many wondrous beauties today.

L.A. is the city of something or other, but from what I can tell it should be traffic and who knows. Gloriel was car sick and had quite a bonding experience with Megan who had the joy of being upchucked on. Michael paid a quarter to use the restroom, and Dunc and Mary’s son Levi thought the place we stopped at for water was called armpit. I think we all may of just been a little jet lag and dehydrated.

Well, we have made it to Azusa Pacific University about 2…maybe 3 hours late to meet the person with our room keys. While a few of our team stayed behind to receive the keys the rest of us went out to a fast food place called B-man’s teriyaki and burgers. It was actually quite excellent for fast food and the first place we stopped. I would give it a four out of five.

Now it’s time for bed in our plastic beds…but at least there is no dirt floor and bugs yet. Not sure what to expect in PNG.