Long Flights to Africa

Journal Entry: Thursday, May 19, 2011 5:32 AM (Local Addis Ababa Time)

"We are still on our very long flight to Addis Ababa. So far we have traveled 5,804 miles and 9.5 hours. We are at an altitude of 37,000 feet and traveling 556 miles per hour. Earlier in the flight we were served chicken and rice meal, which had a strange flavor to it. I did like the potato salad served on a piece of lettuce. I also had a piece of cheese, a wheat roll with butter on it, and a brownie. I had an orange Mirinda with no ice to drink. Later in the flight I was able to drink a whole 12 oz can of coke; though it wasn't very cold.

Earlier in the flight (while I was finally sleeping) they came through and had everyone close the window shades so the light from outside couldn't come in. Most people took the opportunity to try to sleep. Several hours later (after 5 AM their time) they brought us all wash cloths that were wet to wash our faces and hands with. That felt nice. Now it is 5:45 AM, and they just brought us juice".

 Welcome Screen on the plane.

Our flight plan.

We flew over part of the Sahara Desert!

Chicken or Beef? I chose chicken.

After a long, long leg of our flight, we were finally over Africa and were able to raise our window shades. I was so incredibly excited to see a beautiful sunrise over AFRICA! I couldn't help but be reminded of our risen savior and the entire purpose of this trip!

A view of the city from the plane.

There are many, many mountains and hills in Africa.

Addis Ababa only had Ethiopian planes.

We finally arrived at Addis Ababa in Ethiopia! What a joy to be able to get off of the plane for a little while! We were able to use the restroom in the airport, buy a coke or water (which cost $1.00), and just roam freely for a little while before boarding our next flight. I must say that I didn't see anyone eat again. Before we got to Addis Ababa we were served a full breakfast with a cheese omelet, fried potatoes, raspberry yogurt, a croissant, a wheat roll wrapped in oats, a cup of fruit, and some orange juice. Ethiopian airlines fed us very well. If you were sleeping, they would wake you up to make sure you ate. Seriously!

Here is the gang waiting at Addis Ababa to board our flight for Kigali. As you can see, we were all a little tired and ready to get to our destination!

After a quick stop in Entebbe to let some people off of the plane and to pick up some more passengers, we were finally on our way to Kigali! I must admit by this point in the flight I was feeling quite droopy. On this flight, I was sitting next to a 30-year-old man named John from Rwanda. He lives in Germany with his wife and two children. He was on his way to Rwanda for two weeks to visit his parents and sister. As we spoke, I discovered that he moved to Germany for school two months before the Genocide began. He said that his family didn't flee, so I couldn't help but wonder...

Hallelujah, Amen! After a long few days of flying, we arrived at Kigali International Airport!

It was so nice to be on the ground, to see some of the city, and to simply be in Africa. There was no way we could ever know what God was going to do in the upcoming weeks.