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Carlie Peters
Maxine Patroni
English111-381
7 October 2014
Flying for Dummies
The loudspeaker came on announcing that the plane would soon be landing in Leticia,
Columbia. The cabin of the plane began to stir as people awoke from their slumber. I put my
IPod away sighing; I would soon be on solid ground and able to relax. Then, out of nowhere, the
plane jerked violently upwards and the nose suddenly dropped down, taking my stomach captive.
That was just turbulence; everything is fine I said to myself, when it happened again. The plane
shot upwards forcing me back against my seat. The nose plummeted so far that it seemed as if
crashing would be eminent. I clutched the ends of the armrests with both hands; my knuckles
turning white and beginning to burn. The plane continued to thrash around me even more
violently than before. My breaths came short and fast, until my sides began to ache. I was
panicking, panicking so franticly my mind shut down.
I then did the only thing I knew to do, in that moment. I prayed. I prayed that today I
would not draw my last breathe. I prayed silently in my mind. God if you really are there and
you really do love me please dont let me die.pleaseI will do anything.I will do
whatever you ask of me when I land. I will live for you.just please dont let me die. I felt
myself shake as the plane violently, jolted up and down again.
Then the engine started reviving up, the plane would soon be landing. My stomach turned
violently inside of my chest. How could we land at a time like this? My hands trembled as I
clutched onto the armrests with everything I had for support. The plane began to descend
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quickly, so quickly it seemed the plane would take the forest surrounding the runway down with
it. I held back quiet screams and watched out the window. The plane touched down only to
bounce up off the runway fiercely. I clutched harder with my hands and tried to breathe as the
plane bounced, again and again. Slowly, the plane stopped bouncing and started to ease down the
runway. I breathed again finding my breathes to come more slowly, and after what felt like hours
the plane stopped.
It was then I realized my hands were red from gripping the armrests so hard. Slowly, I
released my hands and let out a sigh, it was over. I eased back into my seat and relaxed. Then it
came slithering down the walls of the cabin pouring everywhere, smoke. Smoke filled the plane
and continued to devour the cabin. The plane is on fire. This is the end. I slouched in my seat
trying to hide, when a loud smack hit the window, forcing my body upright. I turned to see a fire
truck, throwing monsoons of water onto the plane. My breaths quickened and I didnt know what
to think as people grabbed their belongings. They were crazy to think we would make it out
alive. Insane to think we wouldnt die. The plane was on fire.
Thats when it I first thought it through. Despite the smoke pouring everywhere, it didnt
smell like smoke. No orange flames were anywhere to be seen and it seemed the only one having
a panic attack was me. I let out a sigh of relieve, but what had happened? Why were fire trucks
shooting water? Why did it seem as if smoke was shooting out everywhere in the plane?
People began to file out one by one. Painfully slow, I needed answers. I grabbed my
belongings and pushed my way into the crowd urging the massive mob to move forward. Then
as I rounded the corner exiting the plane, I found out why everyone was moving so slowly. There
dressed in uniforms was the Leticia army; standing in formation staring at us. I looked out
amongst them and cringed at the camera phones pointed my way. This wasnt my first trip to
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Colombia, South America but I had forgotten how much a blonde haired girl stood out. I
followed the passengers out of the plane into the small airport. I looked around scanning the
crowd until, I saw were the team I was with had gathered. We started the tedious task of
searching for luggage; pulling and piling all of ours together. Thats when I learned the truth
about our plane adventure.
I overheard one of our team leaders, talking to some of the team members. This was the
first time a plane of that size had ever landed at this small airport. No wonder, the landing was
rough. The terrible smoke turned out to be steam that depressurized the plane. The fire trucks,
now heres the good part, brace yourself, they were christening the plane! I smiled at myself.
Relief washed over me and I started to laugh. How stupid I had been thinking that today I could
have died! The pilot had just had trouble landing a plane that size, there wasnt any real danger.
The only danger I was in was looking like an idiot. Memories swarmed around me of the plane
ride, the plane thrashing, me praying. My prayer, my prayer to God, it shook me; I promised him
if I survived I would do what he asked while I was here. I shook scared and excited for this new
adventure God would begin.
Six days later.my promise would resurface while I was playing with some of the
younger kids in a local orphanage. I felt discouraged and confused my Spanish was weak and it
was hard to understand them. It was obvious that they wanted to play but I didnt know what, so
I prayed. Asking God, what it was they wanted to play and then surging over me was His power,
and His understanding. In that moment I knew exactly what game they wanted to play. Hide and
go seek! My first lesson from God, ask and you shall receive. This moment was powerful and
profound and it still astonishes me that I was able to comprehend, what the kids wanted to play.
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Seven days latermy heart would be given over to the children of Leticia. Love has
never come easy to me. To love you have to be willing to let people hurt you and to be hurt.
Heartbroken isnt just a phrase people use, its real and it hurts. I had struggled that week with
love and giving my heart to the children of Leticia. The last day God gave me a picture I would
never forget. During a concert the kids were giving us I was taken by their music and was lost in
its beauty. Here God opened my eyes; the image he gave me was my heart being taken out of my
chest and placed on the ground. I fought it and wanted to scream it hurt, hurt worse than anything
I had ever previously experienced. Finally my fight was over, because my promise rang true in
my heart. I will do whatever you want while I am here. I knew that God wanted me to love
until hurt and to love these kids as He loved. It was beautiful and surreal in an unexplainable
profound way. I thank God to this day for teaching me to seek him and how to love. I know if it
werent for my plane ride I may have never given it all to him.
I like to say that is the story of how I almost died.but I would be lying to you. This is
the story of how I thought I might die. I have traveled a lot but have never had an experience that
was scary, funny, appeared to be life threatening, and life changing. I survived that day and many
more difficult ones following it. I am a glad I lived through this experience, because of it I have
drawn closer to God and learned more about him. That lesson about love really stayed with me,
to this day a piece of my heart is across the ocean with those kids and it still hurts, but it also
brings me great joy. The kind of joy that I never knew existed, a joy that can only come from
pain.