Mission to Africa (Day 2)...

We boarded our gi-normous airplane around 5:00pm and we left the ground around 6:00pm. I had the pleasure of having a window seat next to Eric Webster. Everyone was giving their 2-cents about how they were going to sleep at a certain time, stay awake for so long, so by the time we arrived in Johannesburg they would be adjusted to the 6-hour time change. My decision was to just go with the flow and I would adjust when I got there.

In the mean time, Eric and I had a conversation about expecting to see God work in Sesheke and what we were expecting out of this trip. I honestly had no clue what to expect, but I prayed that God would speak to my heart, change my heart, and use me for His glory! I also prayed that God would send people in droves to the service under the big tree at the Baptist Mission's house later during the week, and that His presence would be seen and felt by all. I know that God can do more than I ask or imagine, so please do it Lord!

The pilot soon came over the intercom with his "radio voice" and informed us of our dinner choices. With his Jamaican accent he told us, "Your dinner choices for tonight will be beef, potatoes, and veggie-tables or chicken, rice, and veggie-tables." Apparently where he is from veggies come on a table, so that is how he pronounced vegetables. We all gave our smart comments after he finished his spill, then out came our dinner.

After dinner I watched a movie and tried to get a little shut-eye, but I have no clue how much I actually slept. After 8 hours in the air, we landed in Dakar to refuel, but we were not allowed to get off the plane. For 8 hours I never once left my seat, so when I tried to stand up I had NO BLOOD in my legs because it had all lodged in my feet. I didn't realize it until I was standing up and I could not feel my legs! My choice was to either sit down in my seat quickly or fall in the aisle. I chose to sit and do some leg pumps, then I got up to stretch.

We finally launched our plane from the Dakar runway and flew another 8 hours till we arrived safely in Johannesburg, South Africa, or Jo-burg as some people call it. We arrived around 5:30 pm Jo-burg time, which is 11:30 am Georgia time. Baggage claim was our next destination, then we took a van to the hotel where we were staying the night. It took us a little while to check in at the hotel, but once we did we cleaned up and ate dinner at "Tribes" around 7:30 pm. On the menu was steak, chicken, kudu, impala, warthog, ostrich, and several other familiar and foreign meats. I tried them all, but my favorite was warthog! I never thought I would be one to branch out to try crazy meats, but it would not be the last chance to eat something crazy in Africa.

After dinner, we went to Ty & Richard's room for devotion, which Eric shared with us...

He asked us, "Why are we here? Are we prepared? What are we prepared for? Satan doesn't want us in Sesheke, but God is with us! We have divine appointments waiting for us in Sesheke (and, boy, did we!). God is going to hold the Devil and his demons back and let us work. We each have a reason for being on this trip."

Eric finished with Ephesians 6, the Armor of God, and encouraged us to be prepared and know that God is with us!