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The Drive to the Airport

 


by Cammy Brantzeg

One of my favorite moments when I plan a mission trip is when the bus and/or vans pull away from Hopewell UMC to drive to the airport.  At that time, I can start to relax and focus on being present in the moment.  If a task is not done, I need to let it go.

I have led 11 mission trips to South Africa.  Each trip is unique and special because each trip has different members with different life experiences that brought us all to this one shared moment in our life.  

I know before we leave that THIS TRIP with THIS GROUP OF PEOPLE will be more beautiful than anything that I can imagine as I sit in my porch typing this blog.  I know that because that has been the case on all 11 mission trips that I have led to South Africa.  

This team will become like a family through our shared experiences:

  • We will use our strengths to work together and achieve more on this trip than we could alone.
  • We will smile and hug strangers who will become our friends.
  • We will share hard moments that we will struggle with.
  • We will check out the grocery store candy and chip aisles to see what unexpected flavors are there.
  • We will laugh with our new friends as they try to teach us how to pronounce words in Afrikaans or Xhosa.
  • We will have a small interaction with someone we meet and will be forever changed by that one moment.
  • We will embrace spending time in a different culture with different foods, languages, customs, etc.
  • We will get frustrated spending time in a different culture with different foods, languages, customs, etc. :-)
  • We will learn to say Coke Light instead of Diet Coke.
  • We will witness unexpected hope, faith and joy and be changed by it.
  • We will learn to live life at a slower pace.
  • We will get angry at the injustice of what we see.
  • We will learn to MacGyver it if we don't have the exactly what we need.
  • We will grow our relationship with God as we see Him working through the people we come into contact with.
  • We will forever be changed.

I can't wait to get into the van and start driving to the airport on Friday, November 8th but until then I need to get back to my to do list.  :-)

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