Thursday morning I left Little Rock, after a tearful but loving goodbye with my parents, on my way to South Africa. As I've shared before, those last couple of weeks saying countless goodbyes drained me emotionally and physically...I don't think I could have handled another day of it. After that two-week emotional roller coaster, my spirits received a big boost when I met up with the Warren's in Atlanta. It was great to reconnect with friends from FPO and know that we were about to board an 18-hour flight to South Africa to begin this incredible journey serving our Father on the field.
We also got a brief visit with Jeff, one of my closest friends from FPO, as his plane to Tanzania was leaving shortly after ours. The first leg of our marathon flight was 8 and 1/2 hours to Dakar, Senegal, on the west coast of Africa. It went by surprisingly fast, considering I didn't sleep a wink. We were only to be on the ground, but not off the plane, in Dakar for just over an hour. As we prepared to depart for Jo'burg for the second 8-hour leg, there was a mechanical problem that kept us on the ground, and the plane, for about 2 and 1/2 hours.
We finally got off and, thanks to some generic Dramamine, I was able to get a few hours sleep before we got to South Africa. As we approached Jo'burg, the pilot informed us there was rough weather between us and the airport that may cause some problems and turbulence...that was an understatement. We began our decent and I thought we were on a roller coaster...our big Boeing 767 was being tossed around the air like a toy while we could see lighting strikes all over the dark clouds around us. The pilot attempted an initial approach but quickly had to lift back up because the weather was so bad. He made a loop and tried again but still couldn't get in safely so we made a larger loop around the city to give it a try from a different direction. This apparently worked, although it was still a bit chaotic until we got under the clouds. The Lord is so good as we finally made a safe landing at the airport in Jo'burg. Praise the Lord for hearing and answering our prayers during those intense moments!
I was greeted at the airport by some fellow M's here in Jo'burg and enjoyed a tasty mexican dinner at Darrell & Elaine's flat. I love mexican food and thought I wouldn't eat another enchilada until I go back to the States so I this was a great surprise! We visited for a while then I went over to Stan & Nancy's to call home. After that, I was ready for bed but with a seven-hour time difference and jet lag, I was wide awake at 4 a.m. UGH. But the day has been good, I had breakfast at Greenstone Mall (very nice) with Barry & Linda and Alvin & Jane, then picked up a few groceries for the next few days while I'm staying at the BIMS guest house. It's been a relaxing afternoon, which was much needed, catching up on some rest and watching a movie on my laptop.
God is so good and has placed some great people here to take care of me and make me feel welcome. Praise the Lord, may His name be great and exalted in South Africa!
"Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!..." - Rev. 19:6 - 7
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