June 3, 2008

Day 3 - June 2nd, 2008
I made it ... with no luggage

I finally made it! I was so happy and excited to touch down and get off the plane. After being the last person standing waiting on my luggage at baggage claim, I realized that my luggage hadn't arrived. I thought maybe it never left Cleveland and was sent back to my mom's house, who knows!

So with no luggage, I headed outside and realized it was midnight here. I decided to find a 24-hour store to buy some toiletry things. My driver just smiled at me and said that there is no such thing as a 24-hour Walmart in Qatar. With that said, we headed to the base where everyone else was getting ready to leave for Afghanistan in three hours. When I got there, I was embraced with love from others. When they heard about my journey, they were willing to share their things with me. Elden Campbell gave me a pair of socks - please note: my shoe size is 10 and a half and his is 16 - it's the thought that counts :o). Rushia was kind enough to share her body wash with me - I now smell like The Body Shop! So my fear of wearing the same clothes for 10 days has come true. Oh well, at least they have a washing machine on the base!

I hadn't gotten any real sleep in the last 48 hours and wasn't able to nap because we were leaving in three hours. Instead, I got a chance to hang out with some troops and catch a live band. The energy I received from the troops was amazing. One troop started to cry and told me how thankful he was to us for visiting. I realized that after 10 days I get to go home, while the troops on the other hand, haven't been home for one to two years, and haven't had a chance to see family or friends. Talking with the soldiers made me realize how blessed I am to live in the United States. I think 10 days is too short. I will use every day, hour, minute, and second to the best of my ability.

After hanging out with the soldiers, we started to prepare for our five-hour flight to Afghanistan. Don't you think I've spent enough time on planes and in airports? Me too! The lesson for today is that sometimes you can't control things. Whether it's the weather or luggage being lost, you just have to roll with what's thrown at you and be thankful. Before I sign off there are two things I want to mention:
1. I have taken some amazing pictures to show all of you, but I left my UBS cord at home and don't have anything to connect it to the computer. My bad, I thought I had everything!
2. I want to give a shout out to my friend (you know who you are) who took me to the Dollar Store and brought me these socks! They rock!

Until tomorrow, God Bless,
Coach Randall