We Made It!

Lauren Petroelje - Somehow, I was nominated to write the blog again tonight. Apparently everyone in the youth group really likes my writing style. (Or they're all just too tired to write it!) So, I will start by telling you that yes, we made it to our site, and no, none of our luggage was lost. (Cue the sigh of relief from all of the family members of those on this trip.) Our wonderful drivers got us all safely to the airport with just one bathroom stop. (I won't mention any names.) We arrived at the airport and immediately got our bags checked, went through security with no problems at all, and then the wait came. Many of us found our way to a little cafe where we invested in overpriced food that was very satisfying. Muffins, bagels, cookies, sandwiches, the whole deal. After finding our way over to our gate, M6, we sat and waited for about an hour. They called our group to the terminal, and just like that we were on the plane.
I'm going to do my best to describe the plane ride. Now, mind you, I am a girl who has only ever been in an airport once, and never been on a plane. So, it was all new and exciting. Every part of it. You can ask any member of the group, and they can all tell you that I was a nervous wreck, but hid it well behind my curiosity and sarcasm. The ride itself was a whirlwind of excitement for me, with beautiful views of the clouds, land, and ocean to guide my way! I think it's safe to say that I could definitely do this whole flying thing more often!
But in all seriousness, the plane ride was one of the best. Those who are used to the feeling of flying say that our turbulence was minimal, and it was a really smooth ride. The flight lasted about 4 hours and 45 minutes. The landing, our experienced flyers say, was a little rough, but we still made it just fine.
As soon as we stepped into the terminal getting off the plane, we could feel the heaviness and thickness of the air. IT. WAS. HOT. And I'm not talking like a nice-beach-day-in-Holland hot. OH NO. I'm talking thick, muggy, heavy air that fills every inch of space around you, leaving you with nothing but sweat and heat. In short, the air conditioning in the airport felt great.
It was not long after that that we found ourselves getting almost lost among the crowds of people swarming the airport. We did, however, make it all down to the area where we were checked back in, had our passports stamped, and then rushed off to customs. After making it through customs, we were able to find our SCORE sponsor fairly easily. His name is Ethan, and his hair is as orange as a carrot. But my goodness, is he sweet. He is SO nice, and was so ready to receive us!
The bus ride that followed was nice, considering the fact that we had air conditioning in the bus too. We were all pretty tired, so it was a rather quiet ride to our campsite. El Calle Paraiso is the name of the street that we are located on. Here's the fantastic part: the literal name of our campsite, translated to English, is "Paradise", and it couldn't be more true.
For those of you who were on the Belize trip, I'm sorry (not really) to say that our accommodations are the opposite extreme of yours. It looks like a house, and feels like one too. We have two sides of the structure, one for boys and the other for girls. In the middle is a big living area, complete with dining table and kitchen. There's lots of couches, lots of space, and lots of room for group meetings. We are a short walk from the Panama Canal, and a small little store, or "tienda" for those of you who are trying to learn Spanish.
One of the things that I, as long as many of the other members of the team, are a bit nervous for, is the language barrier between us and the people here. Our guide who got us here, Ethan, is very American, but he also speaks fluent Spanish. I know that many of us are worried about this as we go into our first VBS session tomorrow, so your continued prayers for this issue are greatly appreciated.

As I said, tomorrow we plan to go to church in the morning, and then finish the morning with VBS. The leaders said that we will be working with over 100 kiddos, and we are SO excited! For now, however, I think I speak for all of us when I say that our sleep tonight will not go to waste. We are exhausted, yet excited for what this week will bring for us all.

On a side note, we want to say a huge thank you to those who took time out of their busy schedules and wrote us our notes! I know that I am one who gets very easily homesick, but it all went away as I opened just a couple of the letters that my dear friends and family wrote to me! It was so fun to hear all of the "Awww!"'s from each group member as they opened their little pieces of home and read them to themselves. Those were really awesome, and a great way to end our first night here in the beautiful country of Panama!

I want to close our this entry with a prayer. It's in Spanish, but I'll translate it to English for you. I have been saying this to myself for a while now, and especially today as we left our comfort zones behind and went head-on into the unknown. It's been extremely helpful to keep me calm, and keep my eyes set on the purpose of this trip: Expanding the boundaries of God's kingdom to Panama!

Padre,
Gracias por este dia. Gracias por mi grupo de jovenes. Ayudanos a servirte su nombre aqui en Panama. Te amamos,
Amen.

Father,
Thank you for this day. Thank you for my youth group. Help us to serve your name here in Panama. We love you,
Amen.
-Lauren Petroelje