Sunday, June 25

We were up at 3:00 a.m, as our flight was to leave at 6:40 and we needed to be there early to check luggage and get through security. Brandon was sick again, and Jenny, Casey, Carol and Karyn were also feeling a little sick. Rick had taken Cipro, as he brushed his teeth with the water at the resort before we learned that it was not safe to do so.

At the airport, Arianne nudged me and pointed at the arrivals and departures board – our flight had been cancelled! We all looked at each other, thinking: “We could have slept in!” By this time, it was apparent that Brandon was quite ill, as were Casey and Karyn.

Vonda and Martires went to the ticket counter to try to get us on another flight. At first, American tried to put us on a flight for the next day. Vonda told them that was unacceptable, so they scrambled, and got a flight for us that day. We flew out of Santo Domingo to San Juan, Puerto Rico. In Puerto Rico, we went through US Customs. Puerto Rico is a US Territory, so we were technically on US soil! We had a six hour layover, and Brandon was getting worse. So Vonda had paramedics who were on staff at the airport come over and check him out. They gave him an injection of Fennegren, an anti-nausea medication, and said he needed Gatorade or water with lemon or lime to rehydrate. Everyone had packed their Gatorade in their checked luggage. I had a package of Spark, which is what I use to stay hydrated, and gave that to him. Fred had just come back with a bottle of water for me, and we used that to mix the Spark for Brandon. There wasn’t any Gatorade in any of the stores in the airport, so I suggested checking the sports bar for lemon or lime. I think Karyn did that; I’m not sure. They had a lime, and gave us some for Brandon. He started getting better.

From San Juan, we flew to Tampa, where we were scheduled for a one hour layover. It was raining heavily. Our plane was delayed, and it was a two hour layover. Brandon was running a fever, and shivering. None of us had brought long sleeves, so Vonda bought a sweatshirt for him from one of the gift shops. We’d also borrowed some blankets from the airlines, and he lay on the floor wrapped in blankets. Carol was also running a fever. She wanted to take an aspirin, and I offered to get a bottle of water for her. She said, “I have an empty bottle – would you find a bubbler and refill it.” Oh yeah, we can drink the water! It’s good to be back in the continental United States!

We were able to use our cell phones in Tampa, so Vonda, Carol, and Vicki coordinated people to pick us up in Chicago and drive us to Madison. Several of us also called our families to let them know of the changes in plans.

From Tampa, we finally flew to Chicago, arriving at about 10 p.m. Noranne Heifner and Jonathan Hart (driving Rick’s van), both team members in prior years; and Wes Pike (Brandon’s dad) picked us up at the airport. We drove to the park and ride at 51 and The Beltline, arriving at about 1:00 a.m., where some of us were met by family, and others rode with Noranne, Jon, or Wes to their homes. Melanie met us with the van, and we took Arianne to her parents’ home to get her vehicle. She drove to her home in Fort Atkinson after that!

We got home and to bed about 2:00 a.m., so I was very surprised when I woke up at 6:30 a.m. and couldn’t go back to sleep!

All in all, it was a good trip. Although many people were sick during the trip (I’m the only person who got by without taking any Cipro or having any nausea), we were loved and cared for. God provided what we needed – from Juanita’s loving care to English speaking doctors, to paramedics at the airport, to the love and prayers of our teammates and the community.

The community of Los Botados is making progress, and that was very encouraging! God’s work continues, and it was great fun to be a part of it! Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to all who contributed to our mission, and to all who helped us get there and back again!

God bless!