Saving Faith

Saving Faith Chapter 1 The sound of a cracking whip jerked Josh Thompson from his sleep with such a jolt that it startled the lady seated next to him. It had only been the lowering of the landing gear that had stirred him, but the familiarity of the dream stayed in his consciousness. Giving an apologetic shrug to his seatmate, he turned to look out the window and saw the New York skyline quickly approaching. Letting out an audible sigh, he felt the dread rising inside him as the plane began its decent. The flight soon landed and stepping from the plane into the busy New York airport, Josh sighed again as he impatiently bumped and pushed his way through the crowds of travelers until he finally came to the international terminal. Looking around, it always struck him how much smaller it was than the other boarding areas throughout the airport. After a moment he spotted gate 87D, and took one of the few remaining seats as he raked his fingers through his dark hair. Shifting his weight uncomfortably in the waiting area chair, he listened half-heartedly for the announcement to be made for his flight to begin boarding. Shifting again, he stretched his legs out in front of him in a feeble attempt to get comfortable. As a seasoned traveler Josh was very accustomed to the hurry up and wait associated with air travel, but today he was feeling its full effects. Sitting with his head propped on his hand, he could feel the exhaustion setting in. Shifting his weight once more, he counted the hours since leaving Atlanta early that morning, but it would still be many more hours before he would reach his destination half a world away. Left with nothing to do but pass the time until his next flight, his mind began to wander through the events of the past week. He was still not able to wrap his head around the unbelievable idea that he was actually going to Africa. After everything that had happened there, it was the last place on earth he wanted to go; but since it hosted the biggest opportunity of his career he had no choice but to accept it. Leaning back in the seat he remembered how quickly his excitement had turned to horror when he had learned of his next assignment. Just days earlier he had been sitting at his desk working on a site plan for a shopping complex when he received the call summoning him to the conference room. The owner of the civil engineering firm he had worked with for the past five years had wanted to meet with him. While waiting to be admitted into the meeting he made small talk with his boss's secretary, but could barely keep his knees from shaking. Cullenworth Engineering was an internationally recognized civil engineering firm based in Atlanta, Georgia that constructed everything from roads to resorts all around the world. Josh had strong suspicions what the meeting was to be about. He was confident he was finally about to be given the opportunity he had been waiting on for over a year, his promotion to be the project manager on an international contract. There were several jobs on the horizon, and it was a well-known fact that he had paid his dues and was next in line for advancement at the firm. Overseeing a number of sites across the southeast and assisting on two international jobs had given him the needed experience; but because Josh was the youngest ever in his position at the firm the partners were still leery to give him the reins on an international job. The rationale always seemed the same from the partners’ point of view. They feared the client would feel uncomfortable having someone with his youthfulness, as they would often put it, leading a multi-million dollar project. Even though Josh was recognized repeatedly as one of the best in his field, he was still biding his time. Now, he was hopeful that things were soon about to change. There was a resort expansion in Monte Carlo he had been eyeing for some time, or possibly, the bridge scheduled to begin construction that summer to aide transportation in Brazil. Either one would be a great change of pace... tropical climates, beautiful women, exciting night life, and as far away from Atlanta, Georgia as he could get. That was exactly what he had in mind. However, within minutes of entering the conference room he soon learned the partners had other plans for him. Josh knew that Cullenworth had been awarded the contract for a United States Embassy building expansion in Accra, Ghana, Africa. The young man also knew all too well this was not Safari Africa with lions and elephants, but rather West Africa. A tiny country the size of Oregon that was dry, dirty, and very poor. It was soon revealed that yes, he was getting his shot to lead an international job all right, but just not in the tropical locale he had hoped. No, he was going to be stuck in the barren wasteland of Africa for at least three months, and he was not happy about it.