We are in the clouds again this afternoon. Movies are being watched. iPods and iPhones are being played on with games and music. Team members are snoozing. Writing seems like a good way to pass the time.
This morning began at 5:00am for this mom. I rolled off my air mattress and slid on my shower shoes. One last Saba shower for Summer 2016. Some of the nuisances of the community center have a way of growing on me. I am sure I will find myself in the weeks to come, turning the water on and then off as I wash my hair and lather up with soap, and then on again to rinse.
Us girls got up and got moving and felt accomplished to be packed, cleaned, and waiting for our ride to the airport by 7:00am, a good forty five minutes early. We sat on the cistern and let the sun hit our faces a bit longer while we looked out over lower Hell's Gate.
So much of these trips is about the island, of course. But these young women (and young men, too) sure have changed me over the last fifteen years. I adore serving alongside them. They encourage me to be adventurous. They inspire me as I watch them live life so intentionally. They contagiously laugh with me. They fiercely love on my island. They are true reflections of my Father.
It was a short wait compared to other trips, at the Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport today. Check in went smooth and we enjoyed visiting with a few friends who made their way down to see us off. As we waited, Sadie came up with a plan.
The little twin otter plane landed and we gave our boarding passes to Fabi, the gate attendant. My feet always have a hard time finding their way up the short flight stairs into the 19 seat cabin. I took one last glance. Saba seems gigantic standing on Flat Point and looking up. One would never guess she is only 5 square miles.
When I took my seat, directly behind the three kids, Jackson was very eager to tell me what his baby sister had asked the pilot. As she had taken her front row seat, she carefully leaned up and in a sweet voice asked...
"Sir, can you please fly us around Saba?"
As you take off from the Unspoiled Queen, the plane banks left, and then has a direct shot to St. Martin. That is the normal routine. My seven year old's request was a fun one, but one that I didn't expect to be fulfilled.
As we sped off the little run way, the three kids had their fingers crossed. And the plane banked right.
As we flew around her, the sights were all so familiar...the church bell tower in Hell's Gate, our old house, Fort Bay and the harbor, St. John's and our beloved schools, the Bottom. The road snaked around the rainforest and rocks. The little red roofs decorated my island just perfectly.
There was so much excitement in this extra special treat granted by our pilots. But tears began to flow...from my eyes and the eyes of the three kids as well. Oh how we will miss her!
What a beautiful gift God gave the world in the miracle of places like Saba. A dormant volcano with a lush rainforest perched perfectly in the sea. She is as beautiful under water as she is above. Sea turtles, Sharks, and thousands of species of fish call her home. She boasts iguanas, mangoes, and July trees. Her people are lovely beyond words and are more than friendly. They have a way of life that many of us could learn a thing or two from.
Only the Master Creator could orchestrate such a place. And only He could create the love that I have for the little island with the big personality. He is better than good...better than great. He is extravagant in His creation and in the story He continues to write on Saba and on the hearts of the Lipscomb teams that get the gift of gracing her shores twice a year.
I am filled with prayers of thanksgiving on this flight home. I am filled with the prayer of hope that March will come quickly. And more than anything I am filled with love and a prayer of praise for an extravagant God.
I will end with the first line of the song playing over my playlist at this very moment...
"You can leave the island, but you can't leave my love."
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