So as I have mentioned in a previous blog, I moved to Guatemala at the age of 15 in the summer before my junior year. I remember feeling devastated at the idea of not only moving, but actually moving out of the country and out of reach from all of my friends. The day we moved was overwhelming. We didn’t just have a friend take us to the airport. We had several friends take us. It was like a going away party that traveled all the way to airport gate with us. I still remember what I wore that day and can picture what I looked like from the photographs that were taken. It was a hard day, a day that will always be remembered.
When we went through the airport we carried luggage filled with our whole world. We had clothing as well as personal belongings. I remember my parents divvying up the suitcases. There was one case that they asked me to carry that I assumed was because of it’s smaller size. But when we reached the X-ray belt I realized they had given me my mom’s cpr training baby. It literally looked as if I had a baby inside my suitcase. Of course, after opening the case they saw that it was nothing of concern and we were on our way.
The flights were not lengthy. The travel part was fairly simple. I am not sure what time we left the house in the morning, but I remember clearly that it was dark when we arrived. I remember the missionary who picked us up from the airport in this weird looking mini van that smelled like a diesel truck. The first thing he asked was if we were hungry. Well, of course I was hungry, but I had this sort of condition. As a matter of fact, I still suffer from this same condition today as an adult. It is called PICKINESS!!! I do not eat any condiments; no ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise. I do not eat any dressings or sauces. I do not eat many veggies. It is not that I don’t care for these items, I physically can’t eat them. I will gag like a elementary-aged child. So when the missionary asked if we were hungry, I immediately thought of vegetables and insects. I mean, what do you eat way over there in Guatemala? To my incredible surprise, we pulled up to the drive through window at the biggest two-story Wendy’s that I have ever seen. Life was going to be ok. I was going to live. And honestly, that was probably the best plain chicken sandwich and fries that I have ever eaten in my life!
God is so good to me, to us. He knew the heartbreak that I had gone through leaving my friends and family. He knew how nervous I was about moving. He knew my concerns about being in a foreign country in a place where I didn’t speak the language. I knew when I saw that fast food restaurant that God would still take care of me. I know it sounds silly, but I felt that heavenly fried dinner was a gift! It was a reminder that God cares about me, even the smallest details.
I Peter 5:7 “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.”
Be Blessed,
Julie.
*Party of 8*
Party of 8 