The end has come

Short version: We made it back safely.

Long version:

Alarm clocks went off particularly early (and particularly annoyingly in the case of Pete’s, which literally sounds like an atomic bomb) as we prepared to leave for the airport. In our zomebie-like state, we managed to successfully stumble ourselves and our luggage into the bus. When we arrived at the airport and got our luggage unloaded, we were greeted with the best news that a traveler can hear: your flight has been delayed! What was an 8:15am flight is now leaving at 11am. Did I say ‘best news’? I meant ‘worst’…still getting used to using English again. 

​Anyways, everyone took it like a champ, and we proceeded to cat around in the terminal for the next 3 hours. A conveniently located Cinnabon boosted the morale of many, and granola bars of varying expiration dates were consumed. We even made some friends during our wait. An old Spanish man mistook us for a marching band (weird) and told us he was going to Dallas to see where Kennedy was assassinated (cool?) This translation was provided byour Spanish-speaker Benji who, to be honest, doesn’t do his best work in the morning, so who knows. There wasactually a group of students with instruments nearby, which explains the marching band mix-up, and Clip (pronounced ‘Cleek’) found himself being serenaded by a girl with a ukelele…or was it the other way around? Keep an eye out for Clip’s hit-single, inspired by the life of Pete Cradduck(known for his work in the Minnemingo) and available for purchase on iTunes next month.

​Long story short, we made it on the plane without much more excitement. Unless you count Lindsay, obviously the most intimidating, suspicious-looking member of our party, getting pulled aside and interrogated.Thankfully, they let her go, and we all breathed a sigh of relief knowing that she wasn’t a terrorist. We enjoyed some scrumptious airplane food en route, before touching down in Atlanta around 4:15pm. We hustled through customs and security to make our connecting flight at 5:25pm, which brought us into Baltimore. After grabbing a quick bite and getting a free cup of Auntie Anne’s pretzel bites (best day of our lives), we grabbed our luggage and hopped on our Messiah vans. 

​So, after a long day of travel, we made it back to Messiah at 10pm.  Excited to be home but sad to part ways, we said our goodbyes. It really is astounding how such close relationships can be formed in a short time span. We left 8 days ago as acquaintances and strangers, but wereturned as a family. It is amazing how God handpicked each and every one of us for this trip, knowing beforehand that we would come together in a special way. Althoughindividual memories may fade with time, the relationships that were born in Panama will remain forever. We may not be able to see the effects of our short stay in Panama, but we pray that God will grow and cultivate the seeds thatwere planted in His name. 

Continue to pray for God’s workers in Panama: David and Marianella Bueno, Dan and Jess Cotton, Pastor Ruben and Maria, Santiago and Juliana, Manuel, Freddie, and others that I am forgetting. 

Thank you to everyone who supported us financially and through prayer, and thank you to Sawyer for sponsoring the trip. You made this incredible journey a reality.

Dios les bendiga,

-Panamaniacs