So I'm sitting in the Honolulu airport about to leave the US. Flight time - 7:00AM. ETA 3:06PM August 4th. Hawaii has been awesome - absolutely incredible but I still feel physically out of it, like I'm in this daze caught somewhere in between reality and neverland. Emotionally, the sensation is indescribable - I want to cry - I want to beam with excitement all at the same time. The two emotions are inseparable and its the most amazing feeling that I do not want to fade... But perhaps is responsible for balancing each other out in the trance like state I've been walking around in - or perhaps thats just due to a more logical reason such as lack of sleep. I got about 2 hours of sleep the night before we left Scranton - up at 4:45AM to catch the bus to Newark. As we said goodbye to all of the departing groups - we slowly dwindled to 5 of us - and flew into a realm where time almost stood still. Our plane moved with the revolving sun such that if you were telling time solely by the sun's position in the sky - we had temporarily figured out a way to suspend it's forward progression. The plane ride was phenomenal - for only having 2 hours of sleep, I thought I was going to crach, but Dwyer and I stayed up and talked & entertained ourselves for nearly the entire flight... It was such a comfort to share those moments - all 9 and a half hours of them with someone going through the exact same thing - doing it together. I felt so bad for our other community mate AJ who had to make the trek alone & met us in Hawaii.
So we landed in Honolulu - all of us as giddy as 4 year olds for in Disney World for the first time! Who are we to be having this experience - to be laying over in Hawai'i and living on a tropical island for 2 years?? Our two night layover in Hawai'i has been a dream for us all. Yesterday we got up early, headed to Waikiki beach, met up with a former Majuro JV who now resides in HI, climbed trees, swam, rented bikes, hiked up to the top of diamond head crater only to look out over the island of Oahu, ate dinner along the beach as the sun was setting to the left and as a sunshower left a rainbow spanning the sky to the right. Simply UNBELIEVABLE. Needless to say we packed an entire vacation into one day.
We left the hotel at 4:30 this mornign and are currently surrounded in the airport by numerous other volunteers. Some of the rest of my group felt disillusioned by their presence - many of whom are going to the Marshalls & even Chuuk. They felt like they were only one of many in a long line of volunteers - that their mission was no longer just theirs....I feel a sense of security - knowing that there are other people out there who long for the same things as I do - that we are not alone in our plight.
Soooo where's the twist Trunce - blah blah blah- yeah that's great you're going to Chuuk......
so as I wrote the above entry, I was called by my group members to go throguh check in - so i saved the draft - and am returning to it now......NOW i am STILL sitting in Hawaii at a very nice hotel. Why you ask? Wellllll Continental overbooked the flight right? so Dwyer and I technically did not have seats. Typically people dont' show - so there is always room and that is why Continental is legally allowed to do that - but today was not one of those days....sooo there was a whole family who did not have seats & who needed to be in Chuuk for a funeral - so we gave up our seats to them (AJ gave up his assigned seat so that the 3 of us could stay together) We didn't get a chance to say goodbye to the Marshall group who was already on the plane by the time we made the decision to stay. SOOOO Continental put us up in the Ohana Islander Resort a block from Waikiki beach - and we will not be leaving now until Friday!!!! WHAT IS THE BIG MAN DOING TO US!!!???
We were SOOO excited to acutally be in Chuuk today - to make this life a reality - no longer this vision - or some creation of our imagination.....no longer something that we could create in our minds - not a story we can fabricate as we see fit.......perhaps it was that we were so comfortable with the idea - completely ready to go & be there......I know there is a reason - which is exciting in itself - we were supposed to be in Chuuk in only a few hours - and he has a whole other plan in mind!!! Soooo we'll slow down - relax - and prep ourselves for our Friday departure!!!
so hopefully next time I write to you - there will be people, smells, places, feelings - next time I write.....I will be in Chuuk.....
so as your world continues to revolve - as your story continues to unfold - breathe intentionally. It is impossible to feel God any closer - any more alive than in your own breath......
Thank you for your calls, texts, e-mails - you have no idea how strong the spirit is that I feel behind me this whole way. Please continue to keep in touch - as your life and your love - gives me reason to persist.
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