11:45 PM Take Off

We've only got a few more hours left until take off for Belize. Since this mission trip was thrown together only a few weeks in advance, our group of nineteen (including Kim) had to be split into two flights. My group leaves tonight with Kim, the next group leaves tomorrow night. I am praying that nothing goes wrong while they are Kimless but am grateful anyway that I am in Kim's group.

I have a paper to finish writing and to finalize by ten o'clock tonight.

I also still need to pack. Yay procrastination.

Last night, we gathered all the sports equipment and book donations we have collected, labeled everything with the University of Sioux Falls, and packed them. It is starting to feel real. I am SO EXCITED!

But I don't really know anyone going on this trip. I mean, I know them, but we don't like, hang out. Which is fine. I went on a ten day trip to Nashville a couple summers ago on a bus with absolutely no one that I knew. And though Tennessee was AWESOME and the experience was a good one, I wished I had been more comfortable making friends. That leads to TIP #2: When traveling with other people, remember to keep your head out of your butt, smile a sufficient amount, and try to experience as many people as you can.

This is something I suck at. I can be shy. I've still got a little bit of the stupid mentality of "Some people thought I was weird in high school so, everyone probably does and would rather talk to someone else."

DUMB. I know. This is something I hope to work on while I am in Belize. Though I have a childlike approach to the world, I do not laugh a lot. Kim told us that the last time she was in Belize, she woke up to children's laughter every day. In America, we have to have entertainment in front of us for us to laugh. Laughter is meant only for things that are funny. I am a generally happy person as I'm sure you all know. But  otherwise, I'm pretty stoic about life. I want to learn how to laugh, open up, and relate easier with others. I want to learn from the attitude of Belize.

Ready? Set? Prep!

So I'm headed for Ambergris Caye in approximately... oh, I do hate math... whatever. At 11:45 pm tomorrow night. My director, Kim Bartling, is leading eighteen adventurers to Belize for mission work over spring break. Sounds stupid right? Another tropical tourist destination for college kids to create a selfless excuse to travel to. While there, we'll enjoy the beaches, go snorkling, and beat all the natives of the country with our bibles. It's the missionary life...

WRONG!

Our mission, from my understanding, is to learn from the culture of simplicity, to learn how to laugh a little more every day, and to share a little South Dakotan love with the children of the island. We plan to play sports and theater games with them and have collected TONS of books, balls, and bats for them to keep.

I'm a little nervous, because sometimes... I just feel a little awkward with kids, you know? Because I still want to be a kid... Who knows though--maybe that will be our connection. :) *fingers crossed*

I'm not saying this experience alone will change my life by any means--every experience changes my life every day. But I when Kim organized (at least, as organized as she gets) this trip, I felt.... I dunno. A calling. And I've never felt that before. So I've fought hard for my spot on this trip and am excited to share my experiences with you.

TIP #1: Pack lightly. Especially in tropical environments, there really isn't much need for too much. I'm learning from their life of simplicity, remember? I probably won't even pack makeup. Which, I hate to admit, is a little weird...