Unplanned and Unexpected (My Pandemic Story) - Part 1

When I traveled to the United States on March 3, 2020, I only planned to stay in the States for three weeks and return home to Guatemala on March 24, 2020. I had no idea that what started as a three-week journey would turn into a two-hundred-day rollercoaster ride of emotions, faith, and personal growth.

Sisters :) 

When the President of Guatemala announced that he would close the borders of the country on March 16, 2020 my husband and I made the decision that I would stay in the United States. My husband, my home, our ministry, and our lives were all left behind in Guatemala. However, we couldn’t imagine that the borders would be closed for more than a month at most. I was staying with my sister in Pennsylvania and helping her and her husband by caring for my two nephews. I didn’t want to leave my sister on such short notice, and at the time most media sites were reporting that COVID-19 was just a “flu-like disease” that wouldn’t have a large impact on the majority.

Slowly the days transformed into weeks. My original flight home was cancelled and rescheduled for May. After hanging up the phone with the airline, panic began to consume me as I felt uncertainty, frustration, and despair swirling around me. The tears came with gasping sobs as I felt trapped and alone. Despite being with my family, I had no “escape”. I couldn’t get home. Leaving the house was dangerous and uncertain as the news reported the latest information on the spread of the virus, and information was constantly changing. It was still too early to understand how the virus spread from person to person and some believed that the virus lived on surfaces for extended times.  

Wearing our "masks" 

I took refuge in prayer, in worship, and in exercise. Each morning I tried to start the day with worship music and stretching. I tried to leave the house in the afternoons to run and hike in the neighborhood surrounding the house.  We had spontaneous dance parties with my nephews and tried to laugh as much as possible. In the midst of the unknown, there were so many moments with my family that served as beacons of hope that kept me moving forward. 

March turned into April, which edged into May. There was still no news of border openings. Each Sunday evening the President of Guatemala would announce the latest policy changes, and each Sunday there was no mention of reopening borders or the airport. Darkness and uncertainty hid at the edges of my emotions and engulfed me in unexpected moments. There was more than one tear-filled phone call between my husband and I during those months expressing frustration and uncertainty. Each time we would listen and attempt to encourage each other in the hopes that we would be reunited shortly.

As May came to a close, my flight was once again cancelled and pushed back into June. Guatemala saw growing unrest as many had been without work for months and subsequently unable to feed their families. Many took to the streets begging for food and necessities at intersections. My husband single-handedly spearheaded and executed a small food distribution through our ministry.

With no news on the border reopening coming out of Guatemala, I decided to relocate to my father’s house in North Carolina. My father lives minutes from the Outer Banks where I grew up. The ocean has always been a place of healing for me, and if I couldn’t go home to Guatemala I wanted to be near the ocean.

As summer started on the Outer Banks, I decided to take a side job working retail to keep myself occupied and distracted. June merged into July and with it two more flight cancellations. Each time a flight date would approach, I would try not to get my hopes up. I would watch the Sunday Presidential announcements with hope that this would be the week that the airport would reopen, to be engulfed in despair and uncertainty with the realization that I would not be returning this time. I found myself in tears at work, and more than once in the arms of my supporting coworkers. My coworkers tried to keep my spirits up, and I now know why God placed me in that place during this time.

My Dad

My father and I passed countless hours fishing. During the pandemic, I spent time with my family that I will forever treasure. I poured out my heart in worship and prayer when I felt that I could not handle anymore. God was always faithful in those moments to lift my head, encourage my heart, and bring the comfort I needed. My husband and I continued to share our frustrations, joys, and sorrows in our daily phone calls and messages.

July changed into August and another flight cancellation. Tears poured out as uncertainty once again engulfed me. I began to explore alternative ways to enter Guatemala as the airports in Mexico had never shutdown and I was familiar with the Mexico border crossing. My husband encouraged me to keep waiting as I calculated the risks.

Slowly the whispers started and the news started to trickle in that there was a new date for the airport to reopen. News sources started to pick up the story and began reporting that the airport would reopen September 18, 2020. Guatemala was expected to open it’s borders. I was cautiously optimistic and still remember waiting for that Sunday’s Presidential announcements. There had been potential opening dates in the past and each time, the dates were pushed back. My flight at the time was for September 9^th.  On Sunday, September 6^th, the President announced that they were preparing to open the airport on September 18^th, and if preparations were completed in time they would do so. 

I squealed and jumped and ran through the house celebrating!! "They're going to open the airport! They're going to open the airport!" I yelled.  IT WAS OFFICIAL!! I WAS GOING  HOME.

Keep reading about my crazy journey home in my next post....