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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: BUG (04/06/17)
We arrived on the ground in Ougadougou, Africa – a place that immediately seemed an affront to my physical body. We were greeted with a temperature of 105 degrees, while red dust stirred up from the dry ground, hung in the air and began to fill my lungs. No sign of beauty existed anywhere as my eyes scanned the terrain from atop the stairway that would lead me from the safety of United Airlines, to the harsh, black pavement awaiting me at the bottom. A bit in shock, I descended the flight of stairs, my heavy pink backpack forcing me to the ground. I watched my thin, turquoise sandals make the final step from safety, into the unknown. …One small step for my feet – one giant step for my mind. It may as well have been the moon… My feet froze to the sweltering asphalt. The bend in my left arm began to sweat as I strained to keep my backpack on my shoulder and I lifted my eyes back to the top of the stairs to frantically search for my husband. He wasn’t there.

An unknown language swirled all about me. I could see no one that I recognized and fear began to squeeze my mind and cause me to panic. The crowd began to disperse toward a waiting bus, but I stood there alone – paralyzed. I am not an adept traveler. I depend on my husband. I should wait here.... Suddenly, from the direction of the bus, someone waved. It was Ruth and Linda, two of the missionaries who had traveled with us. They motioned for me to follow. I quickly glanced back up the flight of stairs leading into the plane. No sign of Dave. I forced my feet to move toward the waiting bus.

…Who would save me now? -These two seasoned missionaries in their late sixties? They had no idea that I even needed saving. This was in no way a frightening scenario for them. This was routine. Every three to four months, they made this trek. This was their home for much of the year. They could be trusted. So, like a small child, I followed them. We exited the bus approximately two minutes later, at the airport terminal – so close we could have walked. This was simply fear of the unknown – and I was obviously being ridiculous. They continued to have mercy and pave the way for me, as dark faces behind counters threw French my direction, they patiently helped me pull out proper documents and proceed forward, easing my concerns – until the mosquito showed up…

Suddenly, Linda’s gaze became fixated on this one, rogue insect as it aimlessly lingered near us. It was one, tiny mosquito. Now she was being ridiculous. I watched her as she locked onto its every move. My concerns right now were over bigger things - I was entering a foreign country and I had no visual proof that my husband had even gotten off the plane…The mosquito was not on my radar. Finding my husband, was.

I continued my desperate search behind me to locate Dave. Linda moved forward in the line, side-stepped to clear what must have been a dive from the mosquito, created an air current by a wave of her hand to send it reeling in another direction, and then motioned for me to proceed. I moved forward, reluctantly, -not out of fear of this insect, but because I felt every step took me further away from the security of my husband. I inched forward, adjusted my bag, and looked back over my shoulder. There he was. His height making him perceptible over the crowd. Relief washed over me so completely, it seemed to even cool my skin. I was going to be okay…

We made our way to baggage claim. While Ruth focused on identifying our luggage, Linda helped me identify real danger...

“Mosquitos that are active in the daytime are the ones to watch for. They are the ones that usually carry Malaria and Dengue. A missionary friend of ours here, died recently from Dengue. I just wanted you to be aware.”

…A chill spread over my body in the midst of the extreme heat. I had been so concerned over a large, perceived fear, that I had totally ignored a small, but very real danger. I had looked for the arm of salvation to be attached to a strong man…God chose to save through the hand of a wise woman.

(non-fiction)
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Member Comments
Member
Date
LaVonne Wood
04/14/17
Wow! I could almost feel your fear as you told your story. Very good point at the end how we don't always fear the right things. I commend you for your courage to go to this country as a missionary. Blessings, LaVonne
Elaine Hemingway
04/15/17
Well done in describing the impact of the heat of Africa. Made me feel quite nostalgic. Keep writing, your experiences will bring lots of material to share.
Larry Whittington
04/20/17
Are you wanting to frightening everyone so no one would even think about being a missionary? You might have, though, encouraged the adventuring type to think about it.

Emotions came bubbling out along with enough details to the wise to be ready for the unknown dangers - not the least of which would be to loose one's mate.

In an expanded form it could be named "Some heart throbbing dangers to be ready for on your first oversea's mission trip".

Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
04/21/17
Congratulations on ranking 4th in your level and 14 overall. Happy Dance!
Bonnie Bowden 
04/27/17
Congratulations on your 4th place finish in the Advanced category and 14th place overall, Vicki.

It is so true that we sometimes worry over smaller issues and miss the biggest danger of all. I hope you had some kind of air conditioning or fans; one hundred and five degrees is just too hot.

Well written.