Big Ol’ Jet Airliner…

July 16th, 2010 | Posted in » God at Work, My Life / Family

Remember the song? “Big ol’ jet airliner… don’t carry me too far away.”

That was the majority of our day, really (though certainly not the majority of our experience). We woke up bright and early at a time of day I’ve seen only once or twice (3:45 AM!) to hop on a plane to the Dominican. Well, not exactly… first we boarded a puddle jumper to Chicago, then a slightly larger plane to Miami, and finally that “big ol’ jet airliner” (a 767!) to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

We arrived slightly after dark, so it was awfully hard to get much of a handle on our surroundings here. Basically, we saw the inside of an airport and the inside of a bus. It was rather clear though that “we’re not in Kansas anymore”. Customs presented a few rather anxious thoughts, though reality proved to be nothing like the various worries that ran through my mind. In fact, our entire team was rushed through without any question whatsoever.

The most welcome sight of the day, though, came as we exited the airport, as we came upon the sight of what seemed like an army of blue shirted D.R. missionaries welcoming us (there are about 8 in reality, but the welcome sight of them mobbing us with hugs, grabbing our bags and loading them up… made it seem like a lot more). These folks will be part of our family for the week, serving as our guides, hosts, and leaders here in the Dominican.

As for adjustment? I think we’re all dealing with a bit of shock that the reality of this trip is setting in. But we expected to be a bit overwhelmed. It’s a good thing. We’re so comfortable with our little world in the United States… we’re so locked into the thought that our culture and our way of life is the only way people live (we know better, but it’s true)… experiencing something completely “other” does come as a bit of a shock to the system. But it’s clearly a good thing. I fully expect to shed some tears in the near future (what can I say, I’m an emotional guy). I expect Jeffrey will have some issues with adjustment. And I expect Nancy to encounter something that makes this trip tough.

After all, it’s hot and humid here. We don’t have electricity and air conditioning all of the time as we do at home. We’ll be eating food that’s a bit different from what we’re used to. We’re going to see a lot of things that will be difficult to swallow. And we’ll be missing Jenna and Allison quite a bit.

But we’ll tackle these things together, and we’ll grow in our understanding of the world, and perhaps most of all, of God’s global purpose. We’ll be meeting people here that, in Christ, are our brothers and sisters already. Our family. And hopefully adding more members to it as we share the gospel with people that don’t yet know Him.

It’s going to be a good experience, even if not an easy one.

[Note: This post was written Thursday, July 15th. Posts from the Dominican Republic Mission Trip will be delayed a bit, due to time constraints while there and availability of internet and electricity.]