We made it to South Africa in good shape. Well, you might think differently if you actually saw us after our 19 hours in the air, but we’re alive at least. As is happened, on our flight from Minneapolis to Amsterdam we were accompanied by Justin Mack, the missions and small group pastor from our church. He was on his way to India for a mission trip with the church that his father pastors. He told us that people who have been to India say that when you get off the plane, the smell overwhelms you. The group he’s with will be working in areas of extreme poverty. So, you see, I know Africa won’t be as bad as that and suddenly, by comparison, it seems more like a picnic of a trip. If the accommodations don’t really suit my tastes I can just say to myself, “at least I’m not in India.” Kind of like when you’re sick and then hear of someone much worse off than you are.
Random things I learned on the plane:
1. People from the Netherlands are called Hollanders, regardless of the region in which they live.
2. Mars candy bars are very good. Does anyone know where they sell them in the United States?
3. The toilet seats in KLM’s 747 are more comfortable than the seat to which I was assigned.
4. Even a 13” laptop is impossible to completely open in seat 40G.
5. KLM has better food, and more food than NWA (big surprise there.)
6. Young men should not wear eye masks that say “sexy” in bright pink. It just looks stupid.
An unexpected blessing was being greeted by our friends, Ben and Susan Rodgers, at the airport in Johannesburg. Ben and Susan are the missionaries in Swaziland that we met last year when we were working with Children’s Cup. As it turns out, three of our team members are relatives of Susan’s. It was so fun, and a huge surprise, to see them at the airport.
Some of my blogs during this trip may be written on days when I can’t post them due to lack of internet access. This could result in me posting three or four at a time as access becomes available.