Hope in Mommyhood: 30 hours of travel

What better time to restart the blog-thing than when I travel to the other side of the world? As everyone knows, we have traveled to Cambodia for a two-week mission trip (we = me, Kirby, Dwight, & LeeAnn).

We left Wilmington at 6:00 on Saturday, October 29. It was a very tearful morning... a little anxiety regarding the intensity of the awaiting trip, and a LOT of stress over leaving my angels behind in Leland! Raegan was taking it especially hard. Her tears began a week ago as she struggled with the idea of us being gone for so long. For a little girl who never even stays overnight anywhere, two weeks without Mom and Dad was terrifying! However, we prayed with her and explained to her that sometimes God calls you to do things outside of where you're comfortable, and you have to obey Him no matter what! Before we left, I gave her a list of encouraging verses to refer to while we're gone in hopes that she'll find some comfort in God's word.

Our first flight from Wilmington to Chicago was a rough one. The plane was tiny- a row on single seats on one side and double seats on the other, and there was MUCH turbulence pretty much the entire two hours. By the time we landed we were all fairly miserable, and grateful to have our feet back on solid ground!

We had over four hours to hang around in Chicago's airport... we got a little lost trying to find the right terminal at first. Fortunately some kind soul noticed our aimless wandering and gave us a little direction. We took a tram to another terminal, then ate some breakfast, got our boarding passes and went through security. Security was a little more intense there, but we all got through relatively easily.

The flight from Chicago to Seoul, South Korea was 13 hours. The plane was large- 3 seats, 4 seats, and 3 seats. Kirby and I were behind Dwight and LeeAnn, and we each had a person on the end. However, our guy got up and moved, so Kirby and I got an extra seat to stretch out on- SWEET! We flew Korean Air, which was super-nice. Each seat had a personal monitor with headphones, and we could watch movies or tv shows, listen to music, or play video games.

13 hours is a long time to be in one seat... ate a lot of food (they provided snacks and 2 full meals), slept a lot, and watched lots of movies. We literally flew over the top of the world, which was amazing. We saw glaciers and snow, and watched the sun set. It was humbling to see a totally different realm of God's creation... the same God that created the things I see in Leland, that created me, also created the glaciers of the Arctic Circle and the snowy vastness of Siberia.

Our time in the airport in Seoul, South Korea, was much shorter. We found a Burger King and grabbed a snack, then got ready to board our final flight. The flight from Seoul to Phnom Penh was about 5 hours, and we all slept most of it. We went through visas and customs very quickly in Phnom Penh, then met up with Pat and Jeanie Hartsfield, the missionaries taking care of us for our first couple of days.

We are staying the first two nights in Phnom Penh at The Sanctuary Guesthouse, set up specifically for Christian missionaries. The four of us are in one room with two sets of bunk beds and a bathroom. Everything is very clean, and we have hot water and AC! There is a real toilet that flushes (and toilet paper!), and a tub with a shower nozzle... just have to be careful not to soak the floor too much. They also provide breakfast and dinner here.

So the trip is off to a great start, and we are looking forward to all that lies ahead- God has been faithful as always!