Journal Entry 1

**This is just a summed up version of my journal entry--they're way too long to post all of it but hopefully you will get a good idea of the things we did and what was going on.

7/18/09: I left for the airport at 8am. Got to my flight by 10 after. I said some sad goodbyes to my mother, father and Katie. It was good, no cries :) Confusion maybe but all is well. Had about an hour & and half before I left ATL so I did what I love most--people watched! It was good, some old lady sitting next to me had a Beyonce ringtone on her phone--so silly! Since I didn't have a seat assigned just yet my name was one of the ones called first to board--yay! I felt like I was getting special treatment, even though I know I wasn't. The flight left around 12:30pm for Detroit where I met my teammates. Nervous, excited, scared, anxious--this all describes what I felt. God is in control. He has brought me here and I have nothing to fear. Got to keep reminding myself of this. Landed in Detroit and I had exactly enough time to use the bathroom, get some lunch, let a man yell at me because he has "called my name for the last time" to get my seat assignment, meet the team and board the flight. What a whirlwind! Teammates were nice and immediately welcoming--it was good! I was feeling pretty pumped at this point and really excited about getting to know my teammates when I realized I wasn't near most of my teammates on the flight at all. Actually, I wasn't sitting with any of them. It was fine though, no worries. I'll just meet the Filipino woman to my left and the Japanese girl to my right.

Well, the Filipino woman didn't seem to want to talk much and the Japanese girl went straight to sleep so I was left on this 13 hour flight to stare at my hands basically. So I tried to sleep, I was so exhausted. So I closed my eyes for about an hour but didn't really get much sleep at all. Just trying to focus my mind on the things set before me. A lot of prayer trying to prepare my heart for the people we will minister to.

Couple hours later...
So now the flight is just plain boring and I can't really sleep like I want to, some of my music didn't get put on mp3 player thingy and now I'm kind of pissed. Plus I have this middle seat where I can't move anywhere--how quickly my focus changes in a matter of hours. God get me through this and get me through this quickly...please.

Few hours later...
I just want to sleep and the lady next to me won't shut the window--the light is shining in my eyes! I don't even know what time it is my time or Japan time and my body is just really confused and exhausted. I also have to use the bathroom, but for some weird reason, I can't!!!! How uncomfortable I feel. God please help me to use the bathroom and help this flight to end soon :)

Few more hours later...
So I think it's 7/19 now, maybe. I'm really not sure anymore about date or time. My eyes are really bloodshot and dry. I still have to use the bathroom. The lady finally shut the window but I have yet to get some much needed sleep. I feel kind of crappy just because of all this and I have lost some focus here. God help me focus back on my purpose in this. Also help me get some sleep even if it's just and hour.

Finally arriving in Nagoya, Japan!!!! How happy my heart is :) Hitting some really bad turbulance and hoping I don't die. God is good though. I made it through the flight. Not really looking forward to getting back on this flight but we're that much closer to Manila. Did I mention that the food on these flights is really turning my stomach? They feed you so much yet I don't really want space food 6 times in a flight. Blah! All is well though. Thanks God.

Arrived in Nagoya, used the squatty potty, stretched for about 20 mins, got back on the 4 hour flight and had a whole row to myself--thank you, thank you, thank you God :) Slept for about 2 hours straight! Skipped the space food dinner again and napped on and off until we arrived in Manila. Mabuhay! Praise God we made it! I smell bad, and look bad, but all my bags came in and I'm so ready for a bed. Thanks God for getting me through what I feel has been the roughest 48 hours of my life but yet is nothing compared to what your son did for us on the cross. Still, I thank You and praise You. May I come to understand what it truly means to sacrifice.