2:45 swiftly approached on the first day of our journey. Team Thailand, (Geoff, Sally, Erica, Aaron, Pastor Ben, and Mr. Jerry) met at the church equipped with highly tactical mission ready clothing (AKA: sweat pants and a jacket), we loaded the luggage into the vehicles, and started rolling through the eerily dense fog. Immediately Sally said “DUSTY, I’m not putting up with a lot of noise today.” Politely, I put my headphones in and commenced to jamming out while, the only thought running through my head is how amazing the Thailand experience is going to be. I’ve been up nearly 24 hours, yet there are no signs of fatigue. The adrenalin from anticipation is a phenomenal experience! I feel like I could go back in time, fight in wars from the Old Testament, and come out unscathed. Imagine that? Striking Goliath down with a ferocious energy that’s enough to power a small city for a week! Not sure why that’s relevant, but that’s how I feel right now!
At 5:46 we boarded the plane to Texas. At this point, I realized the immense energy I had earlier was dwindling. I sat in seat 27A, a window seat. I thought I would be reading another book, but 7:46 came around much quicker after closing my eyes for a moment. I overlook the scenery from my window and what I saw was breathtaking. I was in awe of the intricate road patterns intertwined with the greenery of God working together in a sense of bliss. Both the supernatural creations of God, and humanity’s technological advances were evident at this moment. The lake reflected the clouds, as nearby cars flowed on the highway like a colony of ants.
We exited the plane at 8:00, and our next boarding time was at 8:20. Pastor Ben takes off in a walking sprint toward the monorails. I swear, without his leadership, I would have gotten lost in the massiveness of the airport. We were rushing passed the vibrant life that encompassed the terminal. Each person with a unique story, a story that has never been told the same way twice. Through the organized chaos, we made it. Boarding plane number two! Look out world, I’m wearing a hat that says “Live to Explore,” and that’s what we are here to do!
For the last trip I lost track of time, but I ended up reading 4 leadership books, and two of them I had the opportunity to read twice. With the final two hours remaining I watched the movie “Steve jobs,” not for the content, but to observe how he handled intense situations. Meanwhile, every time the flight attendants would walk by to give me food I gave them to the Japanese girl sitting next to me, she would just nod her head and smile. Good times. After arriving we booked it to the next gate, and departed for Bangkok. That plane ride was nothing special, in fact, I passed out the whole trip. Contact was made at Bangkok, we stayed at a hotel that was connected with the next airport we needed to go to. The breakfast was amazing! We chowed down on an all you can eat buffet with eggs, several variations of sausage, rice, curry, crazy fruits (dragon was by far my favorite), and an Omelet maker. That alone made the trip worth it. People in Thailand care just as much about fashion as we in America do. There are some crazily dressed people, many of them wore medical face masks. On occasion we passed a monk dressed in an orange robe. Over here, they get first priority over all of us. The short hour flight will be commencing and our adventure will officially begin! Wish us luck!
Basically the beginning of tomorrow. 