 |
| Final bus ride |
We left Spree with enough time to do a little souvenir shopping and get lunch before heading to the airport. We probably made that one vendor's day when we purchased about 15 football jersey's. We left Ndola approximately on time at 3:17 pm local time. The flight to Addis is about 4 hours. The flight from Addis was delayed just a little over an hour. Fortunately, even though we were stopping in Dublin, we weren't making a connection there, but only a crew change and refueling. We saw some lighting when we were approximately over Egypt. Everyone glanced at Joel like "No, not another #travelswithJoel issue?" But nothing happened.
 |
| I love that they use tractors at the Ndola airport. |
The combined flights from Addis to Dublin then Dublin to Dulles meant we were in the plane approximately 18 hours. At the beginning of both segments the inside of the plane was stifling hot.
So all that meant we arrived in Dulles about an hour late. As soon as we arrived we found out that there were problems getting the rental vans to take us home (there had been similar problems with the van rentals to drop us off). It seemed we were going to have to wait a couple more hours for the vans to arrive. But by the time we got through customs one of the vans was there so 6 of us headed to meet their families at the church. The rest of us waited about an hour for the second van to be available. We were originally scheduled to be back at church by noon, but got finally arrived about 3:30 pm. All told we have been traveling about 35 hours.
Personal Highpoints...
There are so many things that we experienced during this trip. As a team we laughed, cried, worked very hard, laughed some more, played games, worshiped, and loved on some really sweet kids. There were many high points for all of us. I have two particular ones to share.
First, I delighted to watch my Emilianne and observe her during this trip. We both knew it would be a challenge for her in many ways. She did a fantastic job leading her team. She took a couple of significant spills during the games and, as she would say, "Man up and rub some dirt in it!". She toughed it out. She also really connected with the kids and was significantly impacted by what she experienced. And she did a great job interacting with the team.
Secondly, I came away personally challenged by the Lord. On our last day with the kids all the "young folks" were in the kid's classes at Lighthouse. I felt lead to walk around the property and pray for Lighthouse, Covenant Mercies and their work there in Ndola. As I was finishing up I prayed that the images of poverty and my experiences there in Africa would continue to be engage my heart in helping as much as I could. I wasn't thinking I would go home and sell everything, but to really evaluate how I can best help over the long haul and not let the vividness of these experiences fade. As I did that I felt the Lord prick my heart with this thought - "Yes, there are significant needs in Africa, but how do you feel about helping those around the corner - someplace like Chester? It's not only in Africa where people need help." Ouch! It's kind of romantic to travel half way around the world to try to make a difference and I'm glad I did - twice now. But am I willing to do the same in my own back yard? I'm saddened to say that my immediate response was not a yes. I'm grateful to God for opening up that thought so that I can continue to pray for changes in my motivation and perspective.
 |
| Lighthouse Christian School |
