Just a quick note for now - we'll try to get some pictures up tonight...
We made it - withOUT our luggage - but I fortunately have enough clothes for Darren, Emily AND myself for now. ;)
I ran 5 kilometers with a group of 12 boys today (AT 1700meters!!!... huff, huff, huff), played soccer, recorded 30 minutes of High Def audio at a morning church service, started building relationships with the kids, etc, etc. Every hour feels like a days worth of experience that is crammed into my mind. What a WONDERFUL place to be.
We have a laptop in our room with a cellular internet connection now, so we'll hopefully be able to get going with our postings. It is still very slow... (Sam, the Eee PC won't accept ANY peripherial connections except for the webcam... no go so far and I'm going to have to try to reinstall XP as it looks like an install issue - the modem is USB and won't install!!)
We're going back down to the boys living area right now to continue some fellowship. We have 4 iPods going and two splitters and they are having a hay day listening to music and watching videos. Just like kids in Irving, they pic up on the technology really, really fast.
More later...
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
What I have learned while traveling so far...
What I have learned from this trip so far is....
1. BE PATIENT
2. That being crammed next to the window at 3:00 a.m can be the most beautiful place on the planet (I saw the sun come up over the Atlantic at 35000 feet-I wanted to take pictures of the colors, but i couldn't get Jerram to move)
3. That the term "pound" in London is a good thing
4. I have learned that someone very small designed the interior of even that largest airplanes. ( Being 6'3'' the fit is quite tight)
5. And I have learned that even though Stewards and Stewardess are supposed to be the billboard for Customer Service-that does not always mean that they are NICE...God Bless them all, I would not want their job!
We are heading to gate 14 now to get on our plane to Nairobi, 8 more hours and we are there. Hopefully we are going to get some much needed rest on this leg, because when we land it will be 6:00 a.m the begining of a work day at MITS...Can't wait!
1. BE PATIENT
2. That being crammed next to the window at 3:00 a.m can be the most beautiful place on the planet (I saw the sun come up over the Atlantic at 35000 feet-I wanted to take pictures of the colors, but i couldn't get Jerram to move)
3. That the term "pound" in London is a good thing
4. I have learned that someone very small designed the interior of even that largest airplanes. ( Being 6'3'' the fit is quite tight)
5. And I have learned that even though Stewards and Stewardess are supposed to be the billboard for Customer Service-that does not always mean that they are NICE...God Bless them all, I would not want their job!
We are heading to gate 14 now to get on our plane to Nairobi, 8 more hours and we are there. Hopefully we are going to get some much needed rest on this leg, because when we land it will be 6:00 a.m the begining of a work day at MITS...Can't wait!
My Sleeping Plan...
So, I think the three of us have all gone about our sleeping pattern approach differently on this trip. ;) Last time I went to Europe I never really let myself fully adjust to the time and was kicking myself the whole time for that. So, with 6 total hours of sleep in the past 48+ hours, I think I'll be tired enough to sleep a good 6 hours on the last leg to Nairobi. Getting there at 6am means we need to be awake for a full day and be ready to go as soon as our feet touch ground. Hopefully I'm on target for that... took a 2 hour nap and a 1 hour nap on the flight to London, enough to keep me foggy and groggy.
I was able to use some leftover pounds to buy us some food and drinks at the airport. A Starbuck's 'Grande' coffee costs $1.75 pounds which is about $3.50 US. I'm down to change, so at least its all used up!
I was able to use some leftover pounds to buy us some food and drinks at the airport. A Starbuck's 'Grande' coffee costs $1.75 pounds which is about $3.50 US. I'm down to change, so at least its all used up!
Half Way There...
We are spending a few hours at London Heathrow Airport waiting for our last leg to Nairobi. We got off to a very slow start at DFW. Our 5:15 flight to Atlanta didn't leave until 7:50ish. It had something to do with pilots not wanting to fly in severe weather...blah, blah, blah. That put us VERY late getting into Alanta, so we gracefully ran from one end of the airport to the other, arriving at our gate at exactly the same time that the clerk was trying to give our seats away to those on standby. Luckily, we convinced her that we needed to be on the plane. Eight hours later, we find ourselves here in London. Emily was fortunate enough to watch the sunrise above the clouds over the Atlantic ocean this morning. She said it was amazing. Next stop...Nairobi. We hope our luggage makes it!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
This little light of mine....
It is now almost 8:30 a.m. and I am completely packed. Well almost my daughter is drawing a few pitcures to take with me. I have e few last minute things I have to take care of before leaving for 21 days, sitting here in my living room 21 days sounds like an eternity, but I know once I am in Africa it is going to seem like 21 minutes.
Last night the 3 of us went to South MacAuthur Church of Christ, to meet a group of Elders from the church. This was my second encounter with the wonderful people from South Mac, as Jerram was thanking the group for opening it's doors and arms to 2 complete strangers ( he and I) and sending us across the globe to carrry out this mission it hit me yet again... God is good. After the Bar-B-Q at Tim's house a few months back and meeting the Coulston's and some of the people who have gone over to MITS in the past I was excited and ready to go. Now that the day has come and again being around some of the people who have gone over last night-I can't wait!!! It is amazing to watch the peoples' faces light up when they talk about everything over at MITS, I hope I return with such the glow...As the old song goes, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let in shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine..."
As a Christian I know I am supposed to shine to all, but as a human it is sometimes hard and my light goes dim from time to time...one of my goals for the next 21 days is to really focus on my inner light(spirituality) and come back with and stronger glow.
Last night the 3 of us went to South MacAuthur Church of Christ, to meet a group of Elders from the church. This was my second encounter with the wonderful people from South Mac, as Jerram was thanking the group for opening it's doors and arms to 2 complete strangers ( he and I) and sending us across the globe to carrry out this mission it hit me yet again... God is good. After the Bar-B-Q at Tim's house a few months back and meeting the Coulston's and some of the people who have gone over to MITS in the past I was excited and ready to go. Now that the day has come and again being around some of the people who have gone over last night-I can't wait!!! It is amazing to watch the peoples' faces light up when they talk about everything over at MITS, I hope I return with such the glow...As the old song goes, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let in shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine..."
As a Christian I know I am supposed to shine to all, but as a human it is sometimes hard and my light goes dim from time to time...one of my goals for the next 21 days is to really focus on my inner light(spirituality) and come back with and stronger glow.
Sleep?? It all looks good on paper...
Em looked at me crazy and Darren turned me down, but I am awake at 3am this morning and 'on track' with my plan!
I figure that we need to be dead tired by the time we get on the plane in London going to Nairobi. It will be 6am when we arrive in Kenya and we will need to be rested, ready for a full day upon departing the airplane. SO, my plan is that getting up now (at 3am on Thursday) will make me tired enough to nap on the way to Atlanta this evening at 5pm, which will give me enough energy to stay awake to London and through the London layover, which will make me dead tired by the time we board the plane to Nairobi.
It all looks good on paper. But so did that rescue of a floating styrofoam ice chest while ON the wakeboard that one time. Speaking of wakeboarding, I'm heading out this morning at 5:30am with my buddy Ryan - not only will it be a gorgeous morning on the water, but that will make me even MORE ready to take a nap and hopefully quench my thirst for riding as the next 3 weeks will mean NO wakeboarding. ;)
It all looks good on paper...
I figure that we need to be dead tired by the time we get on the plane in London going to Nairobi. It will be 6am when we arrive in Kenya and we will need to be rested, ready for a full day upon departing the airplane. SO, my plan is that getting up now (at 3am on Thursday) will make me tired enough to nap on the way to Atlanta this evening at 5pm, which will give me enough energy to stay awake to London and through the London layover, which will make me dead tired by the time we board the plane to Nairobi.
It all looks good on paper. But so did that rescue of a floating styrofoam ice chest while ON the wakeboard that one time. Speaking of wakeboarding, I'm heading out this morning at 5:30am with my buddy Ryan - not only will it be a gorgeous morning on the water, but that will make me even MORE ready to take a nap and hopefully quench my thirst for riding as the next 3 weeks will mean NO wakeboarding. ;)
It all looks good on paper...
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