The Costa Rica Mission: Leaving

Day 34: August 14, 2012

Today was my last day in Costa Rica. I slept at the lodge with the team and we woke up at 4am to get ready to go. It was a little nerve racking when our bus driver wasn’t ready to go right away. But thankfully some guys went and woke him up and we still had plenty of time. I was blessed to be able to fly to Houston with the team and not have to do it by myself.

I sat next to a girl named Sydney on the plane to Houston. We were chatting a little bit. Her parents own a condo in Costa Rica and she was on her way back because she had to start her first year of college at Florida State University. During the summer she’d help teach at a public school when she was in Costa Rica. I also learned that she spent the first three years of her life in France and knew three languages. She was really pretty impressive. I smiled and could see her heart as she chatted with the very friendly and talkative little boy sitting next to her on the plane. As the flight was coming to an end the Holy Spirit laid it on my heart to ask to pray for her. I was a little nervous and didn’t want to ask. But I truly felt that God was challenging me. “Okay Lindsey,” he said, “You keep saying the journey doesn’t end here. But are you really going to live in the States like you lived in Costa Rica. Follow my calling, just ask her.” So I asked to pray with her. She smiled and said, “Sure!” So I prayed, “Dear Jesus, I just thank you for Sydney and her heart for children and teaching. I pray that you would just continue to work through her and use her for your glory. And I pray that she’d have a great first year of college.” Sydney just smiled at me and said thank you. I don’t know if it made a huge impact on her life or if it was just something nice that happened in the day. But when God tells you to do something, you do it. Because you just never know what he has planned.

I only had an hour layover in Houston and I had to get through customs in that time. It wasn’t enough time to go through customs and then pick up my bag and then check my bag in again and then get to my gate. (My gate of course was like super far away!) So I missed my one o’clock flight into Pittsburgh. United Airlines sent me over to US Airways. Once I finally found the US Airways gate I couldn’t find a place to check in so I just went to the place where the flight to Pittsburgh was supposed to flying out of at 3:25.

Apparently, in trying to communicate with the lady behind the desk, my backpack accidentally bumped a woman standing near there. And I also didn’t realize that anyone was standing in line. So when this poor lady behind the desk, who was already very flustered because there had been several gate changes, started to help me, the other lady standing there said, “Excuse me, I’ve been waiting here for a long time and you’re helping her first. And she bumped me with her backpack and didn’t even say excuse me.” The lady behind the desk said, “I’d be happy to help you now, then ma’am.” “No it’s okay, help her.” But of course we all know she wanted to be helped immediately so the lady behind the desk started helping her. As she’s being helped she’s muttering to herself about how rude I was for not saying excuse me. “Didn’t even say excuse me! So rude, I’m sorry ma’am excuse me.” I spoke up, “I’m sorry, I didn’t even realize I bumped into you.” The lady behind the desk said, “Do you accept her apology?” But of course she didn’t. It was really silly that she was even waiting to be helped in the first place anyway because she was trying to check in for a flight that wasn’t boarding yet. So as she’s waiting next to me she continues mumbling and complaining about how rude I was. Something like, “Such ignorance in young people these days. Didn’t even say excuse me. Starts with the parents!” I don’t know how she expected me to be able to feel what my backpack hit. Backpacks don’t have nerves after all. I was very relieved when her flight started boarding and she left. It was not by any means a warm welcome back into the states. I caught the flight at 3:25 but it was stopping in Charlotte first. So instead of getting into Pittsburgh at 5:02pm I arrived at 9:22 and I was very glad when I did.

There were a few things that really stuck out to me upon my arrival. One was how rude and selfish people here can be. I had to remind myself to flush the toilet paper instead of throw it away. As I walked into the kitchen before going to bed and saw a bunch of food on the counters, I thought, “Oh we better put this food away before the ants get it.” It felt totally unsafe and unnatural to leave my suitcase on our front porch. I’ve been in security mode for the past month and was used to keeping my stuff close and locked up. But it did feel wonderful to take a warm shower for the first time in a long while.

Now at home I am just trying to get packed to go to school on Tuesday. And I’ve been preparing to share in church on Sunday. Keep praying for me as I strive to live like I’m on a mission trip even when I’m in the states.