Better Late Than Never...

We’re here! Just getting here seemed like such an amazing adventure already, I can’t even begin to fathom the experiences God has waiting for us. We took off from LAX on Wednesday evening, saying one last tear filled goodbye to our family. I never would have imagined it would be as hard as it was! Coryn and I then grasped each others hand tightly as we walked through the terminal into the huge question mark ahead.

We boarded the plane without a hitch and settled into the seats we’d call home for the next 16 hours. The flight to Dubai wasn’t too bad minus the tedium. I must have watched at least 6 movies between numerous un-restful catnaps. Sleep was hard to find since our route took us far north where the sunlight was constant but did, at one point, allow me an amazing peak at a sea of icebergs.

We touched down in the UAE at about 8pm local time and I swear the pilot had the hands of a surgeon. I’ve never felt a landing that smooth! Speaking of smooth, I think I should have shaved my patchy excuses for a beard before landing as it may have played a part in my repetitive “Random Screening Selection”. I was pulled aside two different times and made to completely empty all the contents of both my strategically packed carry-on bags along followed up with a slew of interrogation. Once we finally got out of the airport, we were hit with a heat straight from the belly of a dragon with heartburn! It was awful!!! I’m pretty sure that and the lack of sleep were the deciding factor that kept us in our hotel all night.

Boarding the next morning was a breeze and we were off by 9am. We touched down, not so surgically, in Ethiopia 3 hours later and were completely amazed at the view of the countryside as we made our approach. Everything was so lush and green with rivers winding through every nook. We only had a quick touch and go and were back in the air within the hour.

We finally got to Uganda 2 hours later and met our amazing guide Joshua. We proceeded into Kampala which completely took us by surprise. There’s so much congestion and the population is huge! The driving is nerve-racking to say the least and completely trumps the scariest traffic in Mexico. We got to our guesthouse in the evening and enjoyed a home cooked meal and crashed.

So far, the people here are some of the most inviting and genuine people I’ve ever met. Both Coryn and I are so excited to see what God has in store for us in the next year and feel so blessed to have the opportunity to share it!