Departure from PA — on our way to meet the Nashville crew! |
On March 16, 2012 a group of ten very ordinary people gathered together in Latrobe, Pennsylvania at a very small airport to say their farewells to family and friends before boarding a plane for Ft. Lauderdale, Florida where they would meet up with three more very ordinary people (not present in this picture because they were flying in from Nashville, Tennessee).
This group of 13 people would form what would affectionately be named “Team Squirt” (to be explained in another post) or more formally known as the “Haiti Mission Team” sponsored by the Somerset Church of Christ.
The team consisted of two busisnessmen, two nurses, one doctor, one medical transcriptionist, one teacher, one valet manager, one assistant locations manager for the film industry, one preacher, two students, and one granny. Ordinary people with quite diverse backgrounds.
I’ll be the first to admit that I wondered how this “team” would do being confined in such tight quarters that everybody knew when the other had to use the bathroom. Would there be arguments when the days were hot and everyone was dusty and sweaty? Would there be impatience with the lack of “stuff” that we were used to such as hot showers, private space, comfy beds, and daily trips to get some Starbucks coffee? Would we get on each other’s nerves? Would we be able to bond and work well together as a team?
My mind was full of questions. My heart was excited, but also filled with fear. Yet, here I was……..boarding the plane, taking off for a world totally unknown to me.
I sucked in my breath and uttered a prayer as I sat down in my seat on the plane. “God, please get me through this week and get me back home in one piece!”
Little did I know what all God had in store for me and “Team Squirt.” I promise that as you follow along with these blog posts you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll ask questions, and most of all you’ll understand how God uses everyday, ordinary people to carry out extraordinary things in His name in order to honor and glorify Him.
Love,
Clara (Granny)
PS Look out team members ’cause I’m telling all! There will be no secrets in this blog including the many adventures of Mary Ann’s Vera Bradley bag!