The team pulling out.
Team Leaving out of Texas
Due to a weird passport rule that we were unaware of, our leader, James was denied flight with us. His passport was valid and due to expire the month after our return. We didn’t know that Uganda requires a passport that is good for six months after the trip. We thought James could fly with us to Amsterdam, our first layover and work with the embassy to get an extension. Turns out Holland requires a valid passport for three months after trip. James had to stay in Houston and get an expedited passport re-issue on Monday and fly out that afternoon.
After a disappointing start at the airport, the rest of the team stood in line to board. We took off at 4 p.m. Houston time.
Lined up to get on first flight to Africa
Here’s the view I had for 9 hours…
My 20 hour view
Take a look out our window starting at 11:30 p.m.
midnight view of dawn
Pretty cool to see such a bright midnight. By this time we were flying over Ireland (35,000 feet is as close as I’ve ever been to Ireland) with an hour left until landing in Amsterdam. With little or no sleep we start the day there at 7 a.m. That’s eight hours ahead of Houston and we didn’t have much night. Where’s the Starbucks!
It’s amazing how dehydrating long flights can be. Little cup sips don’t cut the dryness. Houston to Amsterdam (9 hr 15 min.) followed by 8 hr 20 min. (Amsterdam to Kigali then 1 hr 5 min (Kigali to Entebbe) makes 18 hours and 40 minutes in the air. I could drink the Nile River!
I had no idea how difficult flying that long would be on my body. My feet hurt horribly and my wrists and hands too. They were so swollen and puffy from the altitude. I learned I could never be an astronaut. Maybe I should walk more laps around the plane on the ride home.
Add 3 hours layover to the flight time and we’re finally ready for some sleep before a 4 hour van ride to Iganga, Uganda.
Check out more pictures located on FaceBook.
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Please contribute your comment below. I’d love to hear about the travel experiences you’ve had and what you expected at the end of your travels.
This post is part of the Living and Working on Mission Blog Series and you can read more about our trip in the previous Uganda posts. If you enjoyed it you may also like the Insights into Ministry & Leadership Series, the Spiritual Journey’s Gentle Nudges Series or the other Blog Series.
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“Lord, I need help. I can’t do this.”
I confessed to Jonathan my need for God’s help to do what’s right and my trouble obeying. We talked about how God can help us, how he wants us to tell him about our struggles and how he gives hope when we feel like there’s no way we can do what we are supposed to do.
