Hey Everybody! We have actually arrived in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, but I wanted to drop a note and fill you in on the trip here. We started out for the airport on Friday, Dec. 21 at 3:30 am (Thanks Adam!) and found that we actually got to the airport before the Delta employees even opened. Therefore, the lines were amazing, but once they opened, it went quickly. We were able to check our bags all the way to Ouaga. As we walked away, we prayed that they would actually get there. Then, we headed for the gate to catch our first plane to Atlanta. In Atlanta, we began the first part of what I have decided was one long meal with flights in between. We ate at On the Border and it was delicious. Then, we headed for New York (JFK) and I was fortuante enough to experience a flight at 37,000 feet next to an infant with an ear infection. (you can probably fill in the details) When, we got to JFK, we met up with Beth's sister Shonna and checked in with Royal Air Maroc. (that was an experience) Nonetheless, we made it to the gate and loaded onto the plane. Ashley and I were seated away from everyone else, but we ended up sitting with a friend sent from God: Mamadou. He has lived in NYC for the last 15 years and was moving back home to Ouaga. He was such a big help as we made our way through customs and such at Casablanca. He waited for us at each juncture and it seemed that every time we were confused where to go, he was there waving us over. We praise God for him and hope to get to know him and his family better before we leave. He and his wife own the pharmacy around the corner from where Beth's sister Amy works. Anyway, we finally made it to Ouaga at 4:00a.m. on Sunday. We are seven hours ahead of our normal tim on Colorado so the trip was a little confusing to our schedules, especially because of our meal schedule. On the planes, they fed us dinner every time we got on and then breakfast before we got off. (believe it or not, the food was awesome) Then, in Casablanca the airline put us up in a hotel on the beach for our layover. We ate lunch and dinner there for free as well. In between, we walked on the beach and took a nap. By the time we got here, our bodies didn't know if it was morning or evening, time to sleep or wake, or whether we should eat breakfast or dinner. So, we ended up talking and then sleeping a few hours and when we woke up we french totast and a bowl of brocolli cheese soup. (a true brunch) Well, that's about it for the first part of the adventure. We traveled, we ate, we arrived, we slept. We made it and all of our bags did too! Thanks for praying and I will write more soon!
We got home at dinner yesterday and are headed out to a village church and bible college in the bush right now. So, I will update tomorrow when I get back.
