day 1 - africa - please fasten your seat belts

Flying to another continent is not for wimps - I was so glad Verna had just gotten back from Bali and mentally prepared me for such a long flight. We flew out of Austin to Detroit, where we had our first of many layovers. Then, on to Amsterdam - 7 hours of flight. Thank goodness for in flight movies and a neck pillow from Verna. I watched Little Miss Sunshine and The Notebook. I got a couple hours of sleep, but not much. We arrived in Amsterdam at 5:00 a.m. I had a croissant, oh my goodness - they have some amazing pastries in Amsterdam. After yet another layover we were on our way to Johannesburg, Africa - 10 hour flight - bad movies, lots of sleep. We were on an airbus, this thing was huge. I had the entire 4 seats to myself, so I was finally able to sleep on this flight. As we approached Jo'Burg the captain told us we would have to circle the area b/c there was a strong storm. We finally were cleared for landing and the captain took us down really fast. The turbulence was super intense. I was by myself, so the only one there to hold my hand was God. I had never experienced turbulence like this, so I was scared, but the fear set in when I overheard Pastor Mel say he was afraid. All I could think of was Casting Crowns - I will praise you in this storm. I kept saying it over and over. I will lift my head, b/c you are who you are, no matter where I am. It helped, but I was so thankful when we finally touched down. It was very late, so I could not get my first glimpse of Africa that night. We stayed in an amazing Vegas style hotel and had a late dinner of grilled chicken. Hot shower and I was off to bed. The time change does weird things to your body. I cannot believe that I survived on the little amount of sleep I got over the eleven days, but God provided the adrenaline when needed. The flight was nothing compared to the ride of my life in the days to come. Fasten your seat belt, it was a ride!

pic taken flying over the Sahara Dessert