This is NOT a vacation!

The kids and I are on a mission trip.

The running joke on this trip is for the adults to remind each other that This is NOT a Vacation!  It comes from a line in the mission handbook that explains that we are here to work and to serve, and should conduct ourselves accordingly.  We are not on vacation.

So many things go wrong.  Yet so many other things go right.  So, it becomes this huge character building experience.  Patience.  Grace.  Self control.  Kindness.  Love.  All are needed at a time like this.

The goal of a mission trip is to spread the love of Christ to folks who may not have the opportunity to experience it often, if at all.  But, other wonderful things happen in addition to that main goal.  I find that I am affected greatly as well.  

Six years ago, when Jersey #3 was just a baby, The Referee and I took our family on this same mission trip.  It is neat to have the ability to do this with a young family.  So many things went outside of the plan.  One of the vehicles in our caravan broke down part way there, throwing our schedule completely off for the day.  The 2nd day, elections removed our ability to use the building we were scheduled to use.  Then, a truck got stuck in the mud and had to be pulled out.  It was a wild, adventurous time.  

I learned a very valuable lesson, during that trip, about how Christians handle adversity.  Regardless of the level of stress and mess that occurred during that trip, the folks we were with had the most amazing attitudes.  They were not angry, or cussing, or complaining about the circumstances.  They were joking, and brainstorming ways to get through it and keep moving forward.  

So, when things started to go awry during this mission trip, I was reminded to keep a good humor about things, brainstorm new solutions, and to keep moving forward, with the top priority in mind.

15 miles outside our destination, the interstate traffic came to a dead halt.  While we sat around, Jersey #5 needed to use the restroom.  He exited the van with determination, dropped his shorts to his ankles, mooned an entire fleet of semi trucks, and watered the asphalt.  According to my friend in the vehicle behind me, the semi truck driver in the lane beside her, started laughing so hard she thought he would have a heart attack.  Jersey #5 was a sight to see, and he entertained a crowd of stalled travelers.  

  I had assumed that the traffic halt was caused by a terrible accident.  When traffic finally moved forward, we discovered that the road was actually blocked due to a flash flood that caused a mud slide across the interstate.  The area was still pretty muddy and wet as we drove through it, even though the rain had passed.  

We made it to our destination.  The kids were pretty excited because we were staying at a hotel with a swimming pool.

Then, we learned that the hotel was doing some remodeling.  The pool was broken.  The lobby restrooms were out of order.  The washing machine was out of order.  Most of the vending machines were unplugged.  Plus, our mission team was spread out in hotel rooms at all sides and levels of the hotel.

Clearly, this was NOT a vacation.

The mission work itself has been a wonderful experience.  We are enjoying meeting and reaching many, many folks every day.  I have been looking forward to what each day will bring when we arrive at the mission field.

I was not prepared for what came my way today.

We were driving toward our mission destination, when Jersey #4 announced she had to throw up, followed by two seconds, and then a huge puking episode.

She is not one to complain about feeling sick, so I had no clue that she was ill.  I was caught completely off guard.

As my mind raced to figure out what to do next, I realized that God had it all under control already.  My mission trip teammate had decided to drive her vehicle today, just in case she needed to return to town before the group.  I was able to contact her to pull over on the side of the road.  We moved my older kids and all the craft supplies to her van, and she continued on her way to the location.  I took my youngest two kids and returned to the hotel to get Jersey #4 cleaned up.

I had originally planned to return as soon as I had her all cleaned up and on her feet again.  

Instead, I returned to the hotel to discover that the room key had been deactivated.  I had to go to the front lobby to get it re-keyed.  By the time I returned to the room, Jersey #4 ended up emptying the rest of the contents of her belly onto the rock landscaping in front of the room.  We just did not have time to get inside to the bathroom, and the lobby restrooms were out of order.

Clearly, this is NOT a vacation!

I got her all cleaned up in the bathtub, and resting on the bed (where the maid had removed the sheets, but had not made up the beds yet).  Then, I went to work getting my van cleaned out and getting her booster seat cleaned up.  

This is when I was reminded that the hotel washing machine was out of order.

This is NOT a vacation!

I hand-washed her vomit clothes and her car seat cover in the bathtub, and set them outside the room door to dry.

Instead of returning to the mission program to "serve," I hung out in the hotel room, watching my sick princess sleep.

Thankfully, she woke up in the early evening, feeling much better.  She was able to hold down apple juice, and later eat some simple foods.  We re-joined our group for a brief fellowship, and Jersey #4 was able to wander around outdoors and play a little.  She is on the mend.

I have no idea what to expect for tomorrow.

Because, this is NOT a Vacation!