Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Record Eagle Post, March 12, 2007

An Unexpected Change in Plans

Posted on March 12th, 2007 by Dan Kaschel in Away From Home

I know Christopher Columbus is no longer in vogue — “but he didn’t really discover America” — but even so, what would you do if you were planning to sail to India for some good old-fashioned profitable trade and instead you ended up on some continent that wasn’t even on the maps? All things considered, I think good ol’ C.C. did rather well for himself. I mean, sometimes life just blindsides you, and you can either wilt or flower.

I had a talk with Jean, my host, who said the things I do for him are no longer things that I need to be local to do and that it’s an unjustified drain on his and my resources — he’s always very diplomatic — to keep me here. And, after moving past my initial feelings of rejection and disappointment, I suppose I agree.

But it sure does put me in an awkward situation. Jean knew I was visiting my mother and grandfather in Florida from March 23rd through the 29th, so I imagine that, in his eyes, I can follow the same plane without returning. It’s not that simple, though; first of all, my plane ticket goes to Florida, not Michigan, which means a plane ride I can’t afford or a very long walk. And frankly, I’m not ready to go back home, yet.

So I’m weighing my options — which, at this point, are limited to finding another ministry to work with in Haiti or staying in Florida where I can get a job and figure things out from there — and sitting tight and praying and just generally hoping that things will turn out fine.

And that’s my life today. Heaven knows what tomorrow will bring.

Dan

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