We're here and all settled in

Apparently our travels went in the truest Kenya fashion: never expect things to turn out the way it was expected.  So even though we knew everything was totally out of our hands, God had a plan for us that we just couldn’t see.  And yes, after four and a half days of relentless travel, 19 hours in the air, four different flights, no sleep, and about 15 hours of waiting in airports most of us still have a few questions.

Finally leaving Detroit and heading to Paris.

Our afternoon departure from Detroit on Monday was smooth and, thankfully, uneventful.  We arrived in Paris at 11:30 AM on Tuesday, so while we waited for our late evening flight, we were able to see the Eiffel Tower before we left.  And when I say “see” I really mean, speed walk by and take about 500 group photos.  Afterward, all 17 of us practically ran down the Seine River lugging a suitcase with a broken wheel weighing about 30 pounds.  It sounds glamorous; we know.

Just arrived in Paris; getting our
boarding passes for the flight to Amsterdam the next day.

Jessica, Kortney, Amy, Ali & Maise

trying to figure out where to go while in Paris

Paul and Jason buying the train tickets to central Paris...

All 17 of them....one ticket at a time!

Group picture on a bridge spanning the Seine River.

Self explanatory :)

The Eiffel Tower up close & personal.

A long walk....but worth it.

We successfully made it to our next flight that took us to Amsterdam late night on Wednesday.  Then, our next challenge was to maneuver 17 people downtown to a hostel where we could spend the night.  How 17 deliriously tired people navigated their way onto a train to central Amsterdam,  transferred to the correct city tram, then walked down the chaotic streets of downtown Amsterdam at night without getting hit by a car or bike,  we'll never know… 

This time it took 6 people to buy the train tickets :)

Most of the group spent the afternoon lying around a park by the hostel while we waited for the next flight later that evening. Some saw Anne Frank's home and others went to the Van Gough Museum.

Brenda resting in the park in Amsterdam.

She looks quite content, doesn't she?

The "StayOkay" youth hostel.

Our lodging in Amsterdam.

We got to the Schiphol Airport safely and on time for our next flight.  All of us were so excited to get to Nairobi that we couldn’t see straight. Everyone’s spirits were high and THENNNNNNNN.  Nope. Crash. As mentioned in the last blog entry, we found out our seats to Nairobi had been canceled because of a system error.  I think everyone was in disbelief, but once again, God showed us that this trip was not on our terms.  It was really up to Him.  Everything was totally out of our control and yet we were taken care of and completely provided for.

After about 40 minutes of sweating and praying the system error was discovered and fixed AND we were FINALLY on our plane to Nairobi!!!  We arrived Thursday morning, exhausted and run down.  Stepping our feet on the tarmac in Kenya was the best feeling.  We were FINALLY here, all in one piece, and stronger as a team.

We're finally here!

Is that Andy giving a "high-five" in the background?

Really?
You want us to pass all 51 bags of luggage through the window?

Now that's a FULL bus!

Ahhh...tranquility.

What a sight for tired eyes and tired bodies.

Thank you to Jane Wathome, director and founder of Beacon of Hope for opening up her beautiful home to us so that we could shower and wash the gnarly mess off and have an amazing breakfast upon our arrival in Kenya.

You guys must be really hungry!

Look at the concentration on those faces.

Overall, the team handled all the misdirection and rerouting amazingly  well and with great attitudes.  We learned a lot about each other and had a glimpse about what God might have in store for us in the next few weeks.  He’s already making some big changes in our lives.

Again thank you SO SO MUCH Crystal Knotek and Helda and the staff at Delta Airlines for helping us book flights, arrange accommodations, and for spending countless hours on the phone.  We would probably still be in Detroit if it wasn’t for you.  Thank you all so much!!!  And a big thanks to Paul for being an amazing leader and always staying calm and clear headed when things get crazy.  And thanks for being “better than Benadryl.” 

There is still too much to write… but I’ll let someone else cover the last 48 hours.  Check back here soon to see what God did at the Bisil Medical clinic on Friday.

Love, Andrea