How it all started

Last last Friday, I woke up to a text that had notified me to pray for a relative's situation in the hospital. I prayed. A few hours later another friend texts me and tells of this same friend deciding to change her plans of going on their mission trip due to a death of her relative. I was in shocked. We both prayed and tried to convince her to not let her emotions get to her. Little did we know that there was no turning back, her flight had been canceled earlier that morning. Throughout the day my friend who texted me of my other friend's change of plans was devastated. She didn't know if she could do it on her own, she didn't know if things would have worked out as planned, she needed encouragement and most of all, help. She was now the youngest and only girl left on the team now.

She texted me asking "Can you come?" and I called her back. I didn't know what I was thinking, but I said " I could, just that... is it possible?" In my mind I knew it wasn't... how could it be? Getting a flight last minute, not having gone through any paperwork or church interviews, and most of all what was I going to tell my manager when I just came back a little over two weeks from San Fran? And of course the parental issue hmmm. We discussed the possibilities but I was doubting and shortly we had to hang up because I was heading to work. I left my chances up to my friend. On the way to work I kept feeling I should go, I kept feeling a push to go, I didn't know how though. I arrived work and my mind wasn't even on work, I talked to my co workers about the dilemma and I asked for advice from a Christian co worker. Same faith or not, they all told me to go, they said, "Its Aruba! Who cares about work, if you got the chance, Go, I would go." I didn't know what to do.

Prior to work I had told my friend to keep me posted of updates on what would happen since our friend decided not to go to Aruba, nor her brother. That was two out of eight members gone, 75% left, and technically you needed at least 7 people to have a mission trip be able to go. But, my friend couldn't reach me, I was at work, and my phone had little to no connection at southgate. Then while I was near the cash desk,the phone was ringing. I thought it was a call from another store asking for a shoe check, but I picked it up and a familiar voice asked "Is Sarah there?" I said "Yea, this is me," and she said her name (it was my friend) and told me with excitement, "We got you a ticket! Can you come!?" I accepted, how could I not? I was overjoyed and my next move was to tackle my manager. I approached her and told her I had something urgent to talk to her about. I told her of the whole situation and how I would have to fly out that night and won't be back for a week. I could tell she was disappointed as she was lacking employees, and she already needed people to cover for those on vacation. Yet, she nodded and said okay, and that it was fine for me to go. I called my mom shortly after, called my friend back on my break, called another friend to express my craziness-all my doubts had been solved and everything was falling into place.

I was still in disbelief. I couldn't believe I was actually flying out to Aruba on a last minute decision. I was skeptical and then I started getting scared. What did I get myself into? I don't even know what I would be doing there for Heaven's sake! Right after work I went straight home to pack. I was rushing like mad and I had so many mixed emotions. There was also a chance that all my packing would go to waste and that I wouldn't be able to go if something went wrong with my ticket. Since I'm laying down my memories of that day, everything surely worked out. Even though I was so overjoyed, I didn't want to feel so happy because I didn't want to see my opportunity as a result of a death. I broke down when I got to church and saw my friend whose relative had past away earlier that morning. I really wish we were all going together.

Its ironic how I got to go. When I was asked a few months ago to go on this mission trip, I did consider it, but I turned it down. I didn't think it was the time for me to go. As well, I found out soon after that my dad had signed up to go help since they needed more people and he's been there before. This made my 'no' an even stronger 'no' because I'm not that close to my dad. We don't talk alot, were not that tight and I didn't want to go if he was going. But in the back of my head I always thought if, just if, my dad couldn't go, I could always take his place. I never would've thought I would be replacing my friend's position because her grandpa died. Never would I have wanted that to happen. As well, when I met the people from Aruba, I wanted to go even more due to what they told me their happy island was like, their lives there, how their church is growing and telling me to go visit them one day. The night before that friday, I was even writing goodbye notes to the teens from Aruba and I had written "Maybe I'll see you again some day in Aruba." Little did I know that some day would become two days later.

It made me realized that if God wants you to go somewhere, it will happen. I guess that feeling in the back of my head was always right. I should have said yes from the beginning. But I'm glad it wasn't too late either and having chosen to go last minute, it all worked out, and this mission trip has been wonderful. I got to know everyone on the team and its been a great week of struggles, challenges, sweat, ocean view, kids, and friendships. Oh funniest of all, when my friend had texted me and asked if I could come, she told me later on she was actually joking, but God definitely wasn't!