Category: Service Vacations

It is 5:30pm Friday and Mike and I are getting ready to leave for his employee Christmas party, where I plan to consume mucho vino with the intent of sedating all the butterflies rampaging in my stomach.  I am less anxious than I have been for the last week and more just plain excited to be setting off an adventure again after so many years.  I am truly blessed to have met the 15 other wonderful people who are journeying with me and am looking forward to knowing them all much more intimately in the coming days (there’s nothing like sharing a room with a stranger to force you into instant camaraderie – or else!)  Our flight leaves at 1:20 am, we have a lay over in El Salvador, but should be in Lima Peru just around this time tomorrow!  Send all your white light and blessings to surround our plane.  Be in touch soon…

I woke up to a knock on the door and a sweet voice gently soothing me back to reality.  I was dreaming of a far away land.  Enter Ann Nguyen. 

Each year we embark on our service vacation trips, Ann Nguyen always participates.  No, she doesn’t hop on the plane with us but she is with us on every step of journey.  Each year, before we leave, Ann makes sure she gets the names of all the travellers and brings a gift for each and every single one.  This year was no different.

I had forgotton about our breakfast appointment and slept in from the late hours the night before.  Instead of dismissing the meeting, Ann decided to swing by my home.  It is the day we leave for our trip and I am awoken by one of the sweetest sounds known to mankind.  In that moment, it felt as if my own mother was calling for me.

She carried with her 16 cards for each of the travellers.  She told the story of the woman who helped make the cards: a sister who spent part of her life in Peru, one of the countries we will be visiting.  She mentioned how this woman, Sister Grace, had been badly burned at one point because of a prank some youngsters pulled.  To this day, she doesn’t have any ill will towards these kids.

Before Ann left, she told me that she and others will keep all sixteen of us in their thoughts and prayers.  I thought to myself: what power, we haven’t even left for our trip and yet there is already a force of support behind us.  I know that Sister Grace’s thoughts, Ann’s Prayers and all those wishing us well will help make our own efforts in South America more meaningful.

Sukh