Hold On

So after a quick little nap we were up and back to the airport. We were happy to score our first little taste of home ....a Coca Cola in a glass bottle. Thank you Lord for the little things!! We board our flight and we were all pretty excited. After 15 hrs, a 2 hr flight was nothing. The flight wasn't full, so we all spread out and were looking forward to some relaxing and catching up on a little rest. I went to sleep pretty quickly, and then wouldn't you know it.....time to eat!!! Seriously people... it is a 2 hr. flight!!

As the stewardesses were passing out the food, it happened. The WORST turbulence I (and pretty much everyone else in the group) had ever experienced. I don't know how far we dropped, but it was scary! The looks on the stewardesses faces were not the least bit comforting either. Some said they even heard them speak a few "choice" words in English. I was waiting on some Amharic (which was usually followed in English) explanation to come over the speaker. Just let us know...we hit a little air or the right wing just fell off..lol. Right when we thought we were recovering, it happened again!! This time I remember looking down and seeing the stewardess laying in the aisle beside me. There was food & drink everywhere. I think my fingernail imprints are still probably in the cheap blue leather seat in front of me. I know I was praying, but not sure that I remember my exact prayer. Angela said she made it clear to God that she wanted to come to Africa, but didn't want to die there, so in the name of Jesus, get control of this plane...love it! Some of our group said they were imagining the headlines...3o missionaries die over Africa.

Well, God was good & listened to us. Thankfully it didn't happen again. I think he knew that some of us had pretty much reached our limit :-). We finally did hear the pilot come over the speaker. "Sorry, we went thru a cloud that wasn't showing up on the radar". What?!? Not sure how that one didn't show up, but hoping they would be on the lookout a little closer next time. We all definitely got our prayer time off to a jump start that day. I know personally I was so grateful for God's continued protection over our group...and that we had a few days before we had to get back on a plane!

We landed in Uganda, and right away it just seemed different. The airport was much better. No standing in line for hours and it just seemed more organized and up to date. We gathered all our bags and headed out to meet our ride. The weather was amazing!!! It was warm & sunny, and there was bit of a breeze. Already, Uganda was seeming like it might be worth the journey it took to get there. The bus from Canaan's Children's Home picked us up, and they brought an open air truck for our luggage. Of course, we were crammed in the bus, so a few of the daring from our group decided to get the full Africa experience and ride in the back of the truck with the bags.

We head out of the airport. We are on our way and one step closer to seeing the sweet children we came to serve. Then, before we even get completely out of the airport the bus pulls over. A little bit of concern. Is security pulling us over already? I am sure a bus load of white people doesn't stand out at all...lol. The luggage truck had a flat tire. Of course...turbulence and a flat tire!!! We were all truly learning that you just have to be flexible. Not many details are worth worrying over in Africa. This trip is God's plan & his timing, so you just have to be alright with that, no matter what. The flat tire was quickly repaired and we were off again.

Driving thru Uganda was such an experience. I was trying hard not to miss a moment or a detail. The countryside was beautiful!! There were lush hillsides and greenery everywhere you looked. Some spots even had a "tropical" look. There was still a lot poverty and randomness. It is hard to even compare what their towns look like compared to ours. In the cities, traffic was crazy!!! I learned to not ever look out the front of the bus or my heart & nerves might just see more than they could handle...lol. They drive on the left side of the road in Uganda, and there just aren't many rules when it comes to passing & right of ways. We saw several things that were a little shocking at first...a taxi with a roof full of dead chickens for example. By the end of the trip, this too was just a normal thing.

It started to rain (of course :-) ) so we had to pull over and place a tarp over the luggage. We pulled over beside a little home/ shack and some of the children came up to the bus. We got our first taste of blessing the sweet people of Uganda. They were so happy with whatever we pulled out of our bags. Candy, gum, maybe a few stickers. It was so shocking to just stop for a minute and soak up the details of how these people live. It seems just years and years behind what we know. Dirt floors, washing clothes by hand, animals roaming, no running water..etc. Yet in the midst of this there were smiles, waves, and laughter.

We finally arrived at King Fishers Safari Resort. I must say it was a very nice place (definitely by African standards for sure). Alicia and I checked into our side of the hut. Angela and Sumer were our neighbors on the other side. We got to know our first extra roomy - Leroy the Lizard. After dinner we were greeted by a cute little green frog that caused quite the chaos when 4 grown ladies were trying to catch him. We snuggled into our beds and tucked our mosquito net around us. Just hoping & praying that it would protect against many other critters..not just mosquitoes!

After soo much travel, It was exciting knowing that when we woke up we were FINALLY going to get to do the "hands on" that we came for. We were going to spend the next day at Katie's house!