Our last day in Ecuador began early with a 3am wake-up call and a tired anticipation for seeing family and friends by the end of the day. Our team was very tired with 3-4 hours of sleep and all were looking forward to sleeping on the plane. We arrived at the airport a little before 4pm and made it through with no problem.
We did have one rather comical moment when the airline called three of us down to ask us about our checked luggage piece. One of them was Noah Danner who had his suitcase full of Hannah Miller’s clothes. When they opened his suitcase it was filled with underwear and bras and they asked Noah if this was his suitcase and he just smiled and said yes. I am curious to what kind of witness that was to this luggage handler J 13 of us got on the flight to Panama at 6pm and then caught a flight to Houston. The other 11 went straight to Houston and both groups were rather silent during those legs of the trip. The group that came to Panama were delayed a bit so by the time they got through customs they were running through the airport to get there on time. The last 3 of them arrived with our plane half loaded.
When we got on the plane they had a few electronic issues and ended up being delayed by about 40 minutes at the gate. It was a little bit hot but we passed the time talking loudly to each other and possibly annoying some other travelers. It seems that everyone doesn’t appreciate the joy and love that mission team has for each other by the end of the trip. We had a safe trip back home and were excited to see our loved ones by the time we landed. When we got there our entire luggage arrived except Arthur’s (which came on a later flight and delivered that evening). When we got to church it was great seeing so many of our loved one’s and lots of laughter, tears and hugs were shared. We ended it the way we should with a group prayer lifting many of our thoughts and hopes of the next steps in our lives.
What a joy and privilege it was for me to spend the last 11 days with each of you on this trip. It was one of the best mission experiences I have had with a group and look forward to see how God will use this experience to shape you for further ministry. Remember you are never alone as you have 23 other brothers and sisters and most importantly your Heavenly Father who has watched over you and protected you during this experience. May God continue to bless each of you and continue to serve and be a witness to Him. He must become more and we must become less. Dios lay bendega.
Derek Broten
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