Joletta could hardly believe that she was really on her way. She and Pastor Scott were actually on a plane headed for the small African country of Malawi. She had hoped for so long to make this trip but with all the craziness of the past couple of years, it had all started to feel as if it were only another “impossible dream.”
After checking in at Kennedy International Airport, there had been a two-hour wait before they could board the huge air ship, but finally the announcement to start boarding came, and now the long trip to Africa was a reality. The first leg of their flight would take 7 hours. They would be landing at Dakar, Senegal, where the plane would refuel and then the trip would continue until, after approximately 19 total hours in the air, they would touch down at Johannesburg International Airport in South Africa.
After the long flight, they would stay in Johannesburg with friends of Tom and Jillian, Able and Melissa Fullerton, facilitators at Helping Hands Orphanage, located only a few miles from the airport. Wednesday would bring a second flight, a five-hour trip taking them to Lilongwe, Malawi, after which a bus would transport them to Salima where finally they were to be picked up by someone from the Mission.
A small screen attached to the back of the seat in front of Jo showed the path the plane was taking. They were now on the second leg of their long flight, somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean off the central coast of Africa. The long red line on the screen bowed slightly across the dark expanse and showed no land mass under the wings of the small digital plane, giving Jo a slightly sick feeling. She had never before thought much about how big the world was, but now, flying thousands of miles from everyone and everything she had ever known, it made her realize how much bigger, how much more there is, to this amazing place we call earth! Never again would she think of home in quite the same way.
She was so excited and nervous, all at once she could hardly breathe! She was beginning to realize the scope of life and the opportunities it offered.
“Tell me what it’s really like, Scott. Do you think everyone will like me? I know I’m going to love it, but I just don’t know what to expect. I hope I’ve brought everything I need. Do you think—”
Scott interrupted, “Jo, you need to just relax.” He smiled down at the girl. “You will love Malawi, and it is all going to be all right.”
Jo had been very quiet the entire time they waited at the airport and had spoken little since taking off two hours before. Scott suspected she needed that time to get her emotions under control. The past months for Jo’s family had been full of both physical and emotional difficulties. Healing was slow and definitely not complete. Scott was both surprised and proud of Sandi for making the decision to let Jo make this trip.
When Jo finally started talking, she was full of questions. Many they had already discussed, but Scott grinned tolerantly as he looked at her. “I can promise you one thing; it will be an experience you are never going to forget. Once you have experienced Africa, it gets into your blood and changes how you think about everything, and even who you thought you were.”
“It is an amazingly beautiful and diverse place. Some areas are barren and dry, but others are rich, and green and tropical. The sun is like a huge ball of fire, and the stars are so bright you feel as if you can reach up and pluck them out of the heavens.”
“With even the slightest breeze, Lake Malawi shimmers in the sun as though there were millions of diamonds laid out on a silver-platter. Africa has a uniqueness all its very own; it is truly like no other place on earth.”
“Oh, Scott, that sounds just wonderful.”
Actually, Jo had been studying the African continent for the past several months and had even done a term paper for geography class on Malawi. She now knew much more than she had the summer before, but what she had learned was mostly statistics and interesting facts that she had researched over the internet. Now, as she listened to Scott give such beautiful descriptions of a place he obviously loved, she could almost see the mysterious land unfold before her eyes.
“Go on, tell me more.”
“The people in Kaikeki Village have suffered great losses but are generally a happy and loving people. They have come to love Hope Mission. Tom and Jillian have done a wonderful job reaching hearts for the Lord. In the past couple of years, church attendance has almost doubled. Jill said 23 people were baptized the week before Tom got sick.”
“It’s terrible that he got Malaria. I hope he gets better soon; Jillian is having a really hard time taking care of him and the kids and everything else,” Jo offered.
“I know it has been a hard time, but remember Phil and Audrey are there with them now. I am sure things will improve. Tom is still weak, but he is getting stronger every day; he should be good as new before long.”
“Gosh, I really hope everyone likes me.”
“Tom and Jill have become an important part of the community and everyone knows you are a very special friend. I’m sure you will be welcomed with open arms. It is always a big event when someone new comes.” He grinned at Jo. “In fact, it’s likely that you may get too much love rather than not enough. It can sometimes be a little bit overwhelming. But, no need to be concerned. You will do just fine.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“No doubt about it. I’m not saying you won’t feel a little strange at first. It takes a bit of getting used to when you realize that you are now in the minority. There are other light-skinned people around and many speak English so you will get along fine.” He reached over and put his hand on her arm.
“OK, thanks. I guess I’m a little nervous.” Joletta grinned.
Scott chuckled. “A little nervous? I don’t think so. More like a lot nervous!” Pulling the entertainment pamphlet out of the seat pocket Scott said, “Let’s see what kind of movies we have here to watch. It’ll help the time go faster.”
“Really, it’s all good. I’m OK.” Soon Jo settled in and began to relax as the two of them watched a movie. The hours slowly passed and eventually the lights in the cabin dimmed and most of the passengers quieted and slept. Scott, who was restless, watched the angelic face of the sleeping girl beside him. Joletta had become a favorite of his. She had such a sweet spirt and was so full of love and life. If she were only a few years older– He was brought up short by his unintentional thought. Jo was much too young for him. He could not even consider her anything but a friend. Only recently had he acknowledged to himself his attraction to Joletta, and he knew it was something that could not be! She was a beautiful young woman, bordering on the verge of adulthood, but Scott realized that to even consider acting on his feelings would be a total betrayal of her innocence.
In Scott’s position, working with the youth of the church, it was extremely important that he always be very careful to never take advantage of any of the young people and it had not ever been a problem before. He was somewhat confused and more than a little ashamed of himself for having let his mind go places where it should have never gone. Closing his eyes he offered up a quiet prayer asking forgiveness for his inappropriate thoughts.
Jo’s family trusted Scott implicitly. Joletta was only beginning to find the person she would one day become. Scott knew the only thing to do would be to honor the trust her parents expected from him. He would treasure Joletta as a special child of God and protect her with all he had. – that, and nothing more. Laying his head back, he sighed and closed his eyes.
A sharp beeping sound alerted the sleeping passengers that something was not right. Rain was pelting the windows and lightning flashed. The pilot, speaking into the intercom, announced, “We are coming into an area of turbulence and the going may get a little rough for a while. Please fasten your seat belts and secure all items. If anyone is in need of assistance, please ask your flight attendant.”
Suddenly the plane jerked and felt like it was falling. Jo let out a small, terrified whimper. “What is it? What’s happening?”
The Captain’s voice calmly continued, “Please be assured, friends, these measures are only precautionary. We are flying through a line of storms. Changes in air pressure may cause us to experience what are, in essence, “rough roads.” Please review the instruction card provided in your seat pocket in front of you, and if you have questions you may ask your cabin attendant.”
“Folks, we will get through this within the hour and hopefully should arrive at our destination at the scheduled time.”
Once again, the plane lurched, this time even more violently than before. Tension was palpable.
Scott had experienced rough flights before, but although he certainly did not enjoy them, he knew most of the time the pockets of air that caused the phenomenon did not cause serious problems. Keeping his composure, he did his best to assure Joletta that it would be over soon.
Scott was very aware of how fragile the cord is that holds us to this world. How quickly it can be severed. Patting Jo’s hand, he closed his eyes and whispered a prayer of protection.
After what felt like, to many of the passengers, a longer period of time than it actually was, the un-nerving turbulence finally calmed, and the rest of the flight was uneventful.
It had been a long and tiring flight. Everyone on Flight 2247 was very happy to hear the pilot’s voice once again. “Ladies and Gentlemen, if you look below to the right you will soon see the city of Johannesburg coming into view. We should be on the ground in approximately 20 minutes. The time is 6:20 a.m. South Africa Standard Time. It is a balmy 78 degrees here. Please stay seated until all blinking lights are off. Cabin lights will be activated and your attendants will instruct you when to disembark. Thank you for flying with Air-Tran today. Enjoy your visit to Johannesburg.”
Looking below, Joletta saw a patchwork of golds, browns, and greens, and in only seconds she saw the city. Skyscrapers and buildings looked as though they were made of Lego blocks with highways and roads twisting and turning throughout the massive city. Everything at first looked minuscule, but within moments it all began to grow magically as the plane sped toward its final destination. With breathtaking speed, they were soon taxiing down the runway.
Jo grabbed Scott’s arm. “Oh! My gosh! We’re really here!” She was so excited she could hardly contain herself. It seemed like such a long time since she had first asked her mom about coming to Africa. Now here she was, about to step out of a plane, not just into another country, but onto another continent! Jo had almost given up believing this would ever happen.
Perhaps she should pinch herself to make sure it was all real.