Travel Woes…

After 52 hours of traveling, I finally arrived to my favorite continent! Never had I imagined it would be such a process and trial just to get here. 24 predicted hours of travel was intimidating enough, but when that time actually more than doubled, I did not even really know what to do with myself! I feel like God was definitely giving me a new lesson in patience and perseverance. I didn’t know I needed a ton of work in these areas, but now I’m thinking differently!

I was overzealous and eager for my 2 o’clock flight out of Nashville, so of course we arrived at the airport at 11:30 AM. Little did I know I wouldn’t leave Nashville til 4:15 (not gonna lie, BNA isn’t the most exciting airport). Although that already caused me to miss my connection to London, I had hope because there were a number of other flights to London out of Chicago that night. I had one more chance to still make my Nairobi connection and if that failed, at least I could spend my extra day in London. Well no, no, no, God had other plans! Because of bad weather in Chicago, instead of going into a gate upon arrival, we sat on the tarmac (aka the windy roads surrounding the airport) for 3.5 hours. So, I watched every one of those London flights taxi by me and then take off without me. Talk about a helpless feeling! Needless to say, by the time I got off that first plane (6 hours later after it was supposed to be an hour flight), I was emotionally drained. I then ran through the airport trying to catch my final option to London only to come about 10 minutes short. So, Chicago for the night. Not too bad, but again the process of hurry up and wait continued. I had to wait for my baggage for an hour and then spent another hour in line reconfiguring my ticket situation. But alas, I was put on the plane for the next day and found myself a hotel room for the night (talk about feeling like a big girl). Monday I made my way back to the airport and had a few hours to kill so became an O’Hare pro. By the time 6 o’clock rolled around I couldn’t be happier to finally be London-bound. It was a good flight that arrived on-time allowing me enough time to catch my Nairobi connection! However, American Airlines had failed to confirm my ticket so I had a scare that I wouldn’t make it again. They got it worked out though, and I made it on the flight! Thank goodness for British Airways having their life more together…finally, I was destined for Africa!! I arrived at 10 PM Kenya time and had to get my Visa and luggage and make it through customs before finally joining my Mocha Club team! Talk about a long day (or days I guess)!

My favorite part of this journey, besides the lessons learned, was the diversity of culture I experienced. From O’Hare to Heathrow, I have never had my life collide with so many people from such different walks of life. From the lines I stood in to the hotel I stayed in and finally back to the waiting at the gate, I became good friends with men and women from England, Israel, Russia, and Kenya. My highlight friend was the bishop of Mombasa, Kenya’s second largest town. Although it was a draining experience, I absolutely loved and am happier than ever to finally be here! Thanks for your prayers…stay tuned for the adventures which await me!