Made it to Ethiopia! Thank you for your prayers!!
From start to finish, we touched down on four continents to reach this first destination of Addis Ababa--North America (layover in Chicago); Europe (Frankfurt); Asia (touched down in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to let passengers off and refuel); and of course Africa. We departed SFO at 0610 on Sunday June 15th and arrived Addis around 2100 on Monday June 16th. Whew!! We are now settled in at Jupiter Hotel Bole for a quick night's rest before we head back to the airport (believe it or not) to start our travel to northern Ethiopia. We have a 0430 wake-up call and a 0530 departure time to catch a flight to Lalibela.
At the airport, we were greeted by a brightly smiling Zondra, dear friend and long-term Project Mercy volunteer, teaching middle school English for the past 4 years and serving as informal liaison for myriad teams that have rotated through Project Mercy. Our travel agent Abebe and his son Dawit also greeted us warmly--I think he, Isabella, and I had over 40 email exchanges over the past few months to coordinate this week of travel together. And now, we are here!
Customs couldn't have been smoother … in fact it was as if the Red Sea parted to allow us smooth passage between (but not through) the X-ray scanners. Not a single bag had to be scanned … some attribute it to our airline (Luftansa) while others attribute this gift to divine intervention. Needless to say, this was one huge prayer answered in an unexpected way … we breezed through, and all 20 of our bags filled with medical supplies and books for the children are now on the Project Mercy bus ready for delivery to Yetebon!! God is good and gracious. Always.
Taking advantage of wi-fi to update the blog. Not sure what sort of access we will have in the coming days, but will keep the updates coming when we are able. We continue to appreciate your prayers, and we send you lots of love.
From start to finish, we touched down on four continents to reach this first destination of Addis Ababa--North America (layover in Chicago); Europe (Frankfurt); Asia (touched down in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to let passengers off and refuel); and of course Africa. We departed SFO at 0610 on Sunday June 15th and arrived Addis around 2100 on Monday June 16th. Whew!! We are now settled in at Jupiter Hotel Bole for a quick night's rest before we head back to the airport (believe it or not) to start our travel to northern Ethiopia. We have a 0430 wake-up call and a 0530 departure time to catch a flight to Lalibela.
Quintessential group photo by "Welcome to Ethiopia" sign.
Customs couldn't have been smoother … in fact it was as if the Red Sea parted to allow us smooth passage between (but not through) the X-ray scanners. Not a single bag had to be scanned … some attribute it to our airline (Luftansa) while others attribute this gift to divine intervention. Needless to say, this was one huge prayer answered in an unexpected way … we breezed through, and all 20 of our bags filled with medical supplies and books for the children are now on the Project Mercy bus ready for delivery to Yetebon!! God is good and gracious. Always.
Zondra and Dawit in the Hotel Lobby
Taking advantage of wi-fi to update the blog. Not sure what sort of access we will have in the coming days, but will keep the updates coming when we are able. We continue to appreciate your prayers, and we send you lots of love.
There is a certain buzz about the night and scent in the air that makes me feel like I am right at home. I can't wait to see how those experiencing Ethiopia for the first time are touched…
Love it Sarah. Keep the posts coming. I'm praying for your team. Give those Clines a hug for me!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you guys made it and are already seeing God's working and provision!
ReplyDelete-Nic