See, with the unrest in Kenya, I put off my trip back. And in order to do that, I had to be rerouted through Detroit instead of just getting on the plane from Dulles to Amsterdam. (hold on, we'll get to the ice cream in a second...) So when I showed up at the airport, they were surprised I wasn't on the more direct flight and encouraged me to be a "volunteer" who gets off the overbooked Detroit plane. In gratitude, the airline would move me onto the now-available Amsterdam flight, give me a coupon for $300 off future travel, and hand me a booklet of favors like food vouchers and bonus miles. After I fully verified that it really wasn't too good to be true, I was in! And so I got a few extra hours with my parents, another American meal with them, and I spent my airport voucher on the ice cream sundae you just saw. God is kind in the most unexpected ways!
In Amsterdam I got some sleep, ate a delicious croissant- Europe sure wins the contest for baked goods- and met up with 2 other teachers flying back to Nairobi. We talked about our nervous families, our own concerns, and whether the drive between the airport and home would be problematic. The flight was quite empty, which would have been unnerving except that it meant we all got to lie down and spread out, so we were asleep instead of unnerved. We arrived with our luggage, had a completely uneventful drive back to Rosslyn, and the internet was even working when I got home. Amazing. When God decides to bless, He sure isn't stingy!
But the travel wasn't the only blessing from the past few weeks. Probably the best present was that my family surprised me by bringing my brother in! He showed up the day after Christmas while I was away for breakfast; I was totally shocked and so very happy. Nice work, Gac clan! He's planning to get married in a couple of months, so it was nice to get some family time with the 4 of us. We watched movies, did Mad Libs, and shook with laughter.
It was a relaxing time with my parents, and thanks to their loving care, I think I'm recovered from my recent health adventure. I sure enjoyed their company, even when my dad and I disagreed with great gusto about the solution to a sudoku. I took advantage of the wonders of faster internet to watch a few TV shows, update software, and waste many hours browsing. I also loved hugging my dog and torturing him by tickling his toes. Another highlight was visiting with friends who now live back east- Anna, Joel, Joey, Preston. Good talks, coffee, laughter, enchiladas, and peanut butter balls, and a few language lessons in Arabic and Russian.
So all in all the trip was a veritable ice cream sundae of blessing- many of my favorite things, all in one package. I guess that makes the ice cream sundae the cherry on top.
2 comments:
I'm so glad you're safely back in Kenya. I have been w-o-r-r-i-e-d! Sounds like your trip was exactly what you needed. May your 2008 and this coming semester be so very blessed with health, (safe) adventure, and lots of love! God is with us!
Sarah H.
you are so beautiful, jessie! i miss your face...and the rest of you. i'm thankful you made it back to kenya safely and that you are feeling better. i love you! God is good,
angel
Post a Comment