Changes

So here I am waiting at the international airport in Nicaragua at 5 in the morning for my flight to Belize City. The last month has been a whirlwind of meeting the replacement pilot, getting him trained, getting all my belongings packed in two 50-pound bags, and still flying emergency flights throughout the region. Before starting another assignment in another country, I really like to spend a day or two preparing myself for what is ahead. But the day before was filled with taxi rides, meetings, and hand-delivering government letters — which barely left any time for sleep, much less reflection. So the short three-hour flight from Nicaragua to Belize City will have to do.

What comes to mind are the numerous people I have met and served with throughout my time in Nicaragua. As has been true in all seven of the countries in which I have served, I am leaving an incredible group of individuals with hearts synced in one accord to helping our fellow man — especially the people from Verbo Church, kids from Casa Bernabe, and the staff at the Puerto Cabezas airport and hospital. Every person I had the privilege of working with in Nicaragua welcomed me with open arms and accepted me as part of the Puerto Cabezas community. Nicaragua will always have a place in my heart. But as the plane takes off and leaves Nicaragua behind, I start thinking about what is ahead: Belize. An entirely different kind of whirlwind transition is waiting for me the second I step on Belizean soil.

At the airport, I am greeted by fellow Wings of Hope pilot Dave Brown, who had generously postponed his departure date in order to give me a proper transition period. Immediately, Dave starts showing me around Belize City. For me, everything is different. Belize City is a more advanced, developed and busier city than any of my previous assignments. The airplane is different, as are the airstrips we fly into. Airspace can be extremely busy, especially in relation to the airspace in Nicaragua where I rarely would hear another aircraft. I start to feel a little overwhelmed with everything that will be expected of me. When, finally, some normalcy comes: the phone rings. We have a patient to pick up in one of the islands off mainland Belize.

The rush to the airport, preflight of the aircraft, meeting the flight medic, quick taxi and departure to where our patient is waiting bring back memories of the hundreds of flights I have done exactly like this. It was Congo, Tanzania, and Nicaragua all over again. After the flight, I reflect back on my first day in Belize. It started with sitting in the airport in Nicaragua with a mind full of questions and unknowns and ended with a picture that I have become more accustomed to: the sun setting behind an ambulance taking away a patient to receive proper medical care.

Countries change, aircraft change, protocols change, languages change, but the phone will always ring. It doesn’t matter where I am serving, what aircraft I am flying, or how different my living conditions are. The most important thing never changes — and that’s to always answer the call to help relieve the suffering of someone in need.