I’ve always heard stories of travel mishaps and adventures when going to Africa. Our team is no exception.
I had a slight fright in the Frankfurt airport when the passport control officer asked me for my German visa. I had forgotten my card at home! Fortunately, he let me through without it.
After an overnight flight from Frankfurt, we had a layover in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It was supposed to be 3 hours. Our boarding time came, so we went through security and waited at the gate. And waited. And found out it was delayed. We waited some more, then ate lunch (provided by the airport – it was some kind of tough goat meat on the bone, rice, and cooked vegetables). We went through security only to find that our flight was delayed yet again. So we spread ourselves out in the hall and had a little spontaneous worship time as a thunderstorm rolled in, cooling off the hot building.
Long story short, our 3 hour layover turned into 9 hours. An outraged Italian woman complained that she would miss her connecting flight to Mombassa, so our plane went there first and dropped off a group of people, picked up a few more (who had some of the same seat reservations as people on the first flight), and finally ended up in the Kilimanjaro airport around 9pm.
On that last flight from Mombassa to Kilimanjaro, I had the opportunity to talk with a woman from Israel who called herself a secular Jew. We had a fascinating conversation about orthodoxy, Jesus, and God’s role in the world. She gave me her business card; maybe when I go to Israel in a few months I’ll meet up with her again.
Upon landing in Tanzania, we had to get visas before picking up our luggage. I had a close call with my passport once again: I’m almost out of space in my passport for entries and departures. Fortunately there was 1 blank page that they used for my visa.
I’m thankful that our group stayed in good spirits the whole time. We came prepared for adventure, and we had a guitar and a group of fun people, so nothing could bring us down. We trusted in God, and He brought us safely there.
He also brought us safely back to Germany with another set of delays and adventures.
We spent Thursday night in the Kilimanjaro airport because we flew out at 4am Friday morning. The airport had an open ceiling in one place, so we all became mosquito magnets as we slept.
There were also lots of mosquitoes on the plane from Kilimanjaro to Mombassa. Fortunately, we’re all taking our malaria pills. Our seating was “open,” so we spread out on the plane. When we landed in Mombassa, some mildly disgruntled German passengers got on and pointed out that they had seat reservations, so some of us had to move. Germans prioritize organization, order, and efficiency, so they disapproved of the African way of doing things. No big deal, we just moved and continued sleeping until the sun woke us up. The flight from Mombassa to Addis gave us a view of the most beautiful sunrise ever!
In Addis, everything seemed to be going smoothly. We went to our gate, got on the plane, sat down, etc. Then an announcement came over the intercom: “We seem to be having a technical difficulty. A wire is malfunctioning, so our engine temperature cannot be monitored. We have a team assessing the issue now, so we’ll know the status in about 20 minutes. Thank you for your patience.” Well, 20 minutes later they told us they knew what the problem is, and it should be fixed in about half an hour. Half an hour later, we all had to get off the plane because it was going to take even longer. Another hour or two later, we got back on the plane. After we were all situated once again, we heard another odd announcement: “Due to the rising temperatures, we need to adjust the weight of the plane for takeoff. We’ll be removing some cargo, then preparing for departure.” So a few minutes later, we left.
We arrived in Frankfurt, made it through passport control with no problems (thankfully), and went to baggage claim. We waited and waited, but only 4 or 5 of our 17 bags came through. We realized that’s what they meant by “cargo.” So my suitcase is currently in Ethiopia and will be sent to my house in a few days. Or weeks, with the way the airline seems to run.
We had to run through the station to catch the last train of the night from Frankfurt to Basel, but after that our travel was smooth. We realized it was actually a blessing – it’s a lot easier to travel by train without those 12 extra pesky suitcases! Who needs luggage, anyway?
We saw God’s hand as we traveled. Though it was a bumpy ride, He protected us all. Our students were content in every situation. “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” (Proverbs 17:22). I hope and pray that the joy our students expressed in every situation was a healing encouragement to our fellow travelers.
