vacation (or not)

so, i'm on holiday. i left benin at 2305 (that is 11pm for those who don't do military time)on wednesday 24 june. i arrived into dfw en route to lubbock at 2130 (9:30pm)on thursday 25 june after 20 hours on a plane and lots of hours in airports. but i am on u.s. soil.

i flew into paris from benin with 2 other mercy shippers but we weren't seated together and we quickly had to say goodbyes the next morning as we went off to claim luggage or make connections. after i made it back thru security and was seated in my terminal waiting area, i was quite surprised to get a tap on my shoulder and the question "did you think you would run into anyone you knew here?" and there was a mercy shipper who had departed a few days before but done a 3 day switzerland trip with his parents before heading home (and thanks to them i have some swiss francs in my pocket for the return trip). the funny thing is after having lived with mostly the same people for at least the last 6 months and some the last 11 months, i kept seeing my friends faces in the airport b/c this person had a hair style like jessie or this one had the same build as daniel or this one had the same profile as miriam. and then i would remember...they are in benin, you are in paris...it isn't them.

i met two interesting guys in the paris layover...they had been with the imb doing a short term mission trip in burkina fossa which is one of the countries that borders benin. i knew the verse on the back of their shirts was definitely an african dialect, i just didn't know which one. we had a lovely conversation for about 45 minutes and i've got some new people to pray for. they also just had a medical team head to the same village they just left to do some basic medical stuff so if you read this, pray for that team.

flight from paris to philly...pretty uneventful. apparently there was some pretty decent turbulence but i slept thru it. i was quite happy to see u.s. soil and everything in english so i didn't have to think in another language.

flight from philly to dallas i heard something i've always dreaded and what is for me the second worst thing i could hear on a flight..."are there any medical personnel aboard?" i hoped never to hear it. i did tonight. it was awkward trying to care for someone while standing in the aisle and they are in their seat. but i was pleasantly surprised at what was available in the emergency kit they flight attendants gave us. the gentleman recovered fairly quickly and we were able to just continue the flight and not have to reroute.

and then, i was at the airport hugging my dad and riding along familiar roads and coming into one of the two houses that are "home" to me. and i get to sleep by myself in a room in a queen size bed and take a long hot shower in the morning. happy, happy, happy!!!

and now to bed.