Because I don't have classes on Friday or Monday, my dad offered to pay for my plane ticket to fly back to Santa Maria for a few days to visit. Since I wouldn't be missing school and I didn't have to pay for it,I figured why not. I flew in late that Thursday night and decided to hike Point Sal Friday morning. On my hike that morning, I ran into a couple in desperate need of help. The boyfriend had fallen and hurt his leg. I helped the panicked couple and as we were waiting for assistance we began to get to know each other. I had found out that the girlfriend Courtney was a fan of adventure and that we had a lot in common. She thanked me for my help and promised to stay in touch. I spent the next few days visiting with friends and family and then I was back off to college.
After being back at school for a few weeks, I was walking around campus when I saw a sign hanging from a bulletin board. It said that if we wanted to earn extra school credits we could go on a mission trip to Africa. I hesitated to call the number. Would I be safe? Would I be able to do it without all of my materialistic things? I should do it. It'll be good for me. I called the number and got all of the information I needed. It was settled. In 3 months I would be going to Kenya with my fellow students. Later that night while writing up a paper in my dorm room, I thought of the sweet, adventurous girl I had met on my hike. I called her up and told her about the opportunity. A few days later she called me and had said she would be going to Kenya with me. I sat there in Starbucks smiling. I was now looking forward to the mission trip.
We all met at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport with our passports and vaccinations in hand. We had our single carry-on bags with us filled with necessities. Electronics, anything that required being plugged in, and anything with a fruity scent were prohibited. 12 of us, including Courtney, boarded Kenya Airways for our 18 hour flight. Boy this is gonna be a long one.
No comments:
Post a Comment