Tanzania: Amsterdam to Moshi, 7/2/2009

Although I was grateful for my nice big first class airplane seat (that I did not pay for, Yay God!), 2-1/2 hours was a shorter doze than I hoped for, but the gentle clink of breakfast china rouses me. Soon we land in Amsterdam, with another 3 hours to wait before the next plane.

At the gate, I'm excited to see some purple wristbands -- these are the people I'll be spending the next two weeks with. I introduce myself, and Addy gives me a big hug -- what a welcoming heart.

The next flight is uneventful, the best kind, and we arrive safely at the Kilimanjaro airport, where the GMA team is waiting for us.

Another 1-1/2 hour delay while everyone clears customs -- apparently some of the people who are carrying donations are stopped-- and finally we get on the bus and get to the hotel.

We drop off our luggage and go for a late dinner. The food is better than I expect, with a nice cream of carrot soup, spiced with ginger.

I go back to my room where I finally meet my roommate. My room is lovely, also better than I expected, but after being exhausted all day during the travel, I'm suddenly wakeful even though it has been about 45 hours since I've been in a bed, I try taking a melantonin tab to reset my body clock, and finally I drop off.

I came a day early to allow for jetlag, so the first day is just preparation and down time. I enjoy breakfast -- scrambled eggs and fruit. Once again I am pleasantly surprised, although by the end of the trip this identical breakfast is seeming a bit less interesting. I ask the advance team if the fruit is safe to eat (since the rule in 3rd world countries is to eat only food that is hot, or that you washed and peeled yourself). They confidently reassure me that it is fine. Later on I find that Lee already had amoeba and parasites, and Leila had parasites, and my roommate is sick with something diagnosed. The reassurances sound a little hollow with that news.

After breakfast we take the bus to the other hotel, where we get a pre-orientation and hear an overview of deliverance by Tom. This is really helpful, since deliverance is a big part of the ministry here, and he is very experienced, and is able to give us some good tips which came in very handy! The demons I've encountered in the U.S. are more subtle -- still destructive, but it's simply not that common to see people convulsing under demonic activity, which was rampant in Tanzania.

Then back to the hotel, and off to town to exchange money and go to lunch. We go to Deli chez, an Indian, Chinese, Japanese restaurant, where I order the chicken in a ginger sauce. It takes a peculiarly long time for the food to come, but we remind ourselves to be patient -- This is Africa.

The water dispensary is closed, so we go back to the hotel. I hang out in Laurie's room, because my roommate is sick, and I want to leave her in peace and quiet.

At dinner, I'm pleased to find that they have passion-fruit soda. Yum. Too bad we can't get that at home, although I don't know why -- I'm exasperated to find that it is bottled by Coca Cola.

Tanzania! Travel day - 7/1/2009 (belated news of my Tanzania trip)

Sitting in my airplane seat, I can't help but chuckle. It has been a day of incongruities. The biggest incongruity, of course, is the fact that I'm on my way to Africa. I remember lying in bed in college, and praying. "Oh God, I'll do anything...just don't send me to Africa." And now, I'm on my way. The fear of years gone by has been replaced by excitement and anticipation. I'll be joining a team from Global Mission Awareness, led by Leif Hetland, and I'm eager to see the Kingdom of God at work.

The second incongruity is that my trip has just started, and I'm already sweaty and dirty. In an unfortunate coincidence, the water system in my coop was turned off today, so I couldn't take a shower before I left.

The third incongruity is more fun, and reminds me that I have a whole team of people praying for my trip [thank you! You know who you are]. Traveling to Africa is physically difficult. The sheer length of the trip, compounded by the jetlag, is strenuous. I'll be flying overnight from JFK to Amsterdam, then have about a 3 hour layover, and then another flight from Amsterdam to Kilimanjaro. If you add the trips to and from the airport, it ends up being over 24 hours. A couple of days ago, I got a tantalizing email from the airline, promising that you could upgrade to business class for 1 frequent-flyer mile, by using the online check-in, or the airport kiosk. Needless to say I try both, and can't find any way of doing this free upgrade.

When I got to the gate, I suddenly had a 'feeling' that I should ask at the gate (even though the email had specified that the upgrade must be requested online). While the gentleman at the gate was perfectly courteous, he reasonably explained that no such promotion existed, because every customer would want it, and there are not enough business class seats on the plane. I pleasantly agreed, and walked away, but I suddenly sensed God telling me to not sit down, but rather to stand in sight of the desk. A few minutes later, the gate agent came over to where I was standing and asked my name and seat number, and a few minutes after that a woman came out and said "here is your boarding pass". Seat 1E. Busines class. There in JFK I literally praised God for the travel present he had just given me.

And I also thanked God for all the wonderful people who are praying for me. Your prayers are already working, and I'm not even there yet.