Months ago when Sue and I were beginning to put together our itinerary for this trip, Ted Witmer wrote and said, "My goodness, you guys are courageous!" One evening at a missions committee meeting, one woman who grew up in Africa was praying for us and said to the Lord, "I have no idea how this is going to work out, but You do."
In the past three weeks, we have discovered what these veterans knew all along: Travel around Africa is complicated. You simply do not just go from one country to the next or one city to another. In the past three and a half weeks, we have visited four families in three countries. That has involved 16 flights in 9 countries, on 4 commercial airlines. It's also included two flights on a small Cessna aircraft with Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF) between Uganda and Congo. In Chad, we were qualified to fly on a United Nations sponsored flight across the country from N'Djamena to Abeche and then on to Guereda. These flights are free to humanitarian workers.
In N'Djamena we traveled in the city in a public taxi--a small van crammed with 27 people. In Guinea, we drove from Conakry to Hamdallye in the Altmillers 20 year old Toyota Land Cruiser packed with 9 people, luggage and supplies for the next several months. In each of the countries, paved roads are scarce, travel is slow, and vehicles are generally heavy duty, four wheel drive.
Today we're on the road again, traveling back to Conakry to prepare for our early Monday morning departure from Guinea to London, via Casablanca, Morocco. No foreigners are allowed out on the roads after midnight, so we plan to spend the night in the airport in order to be ready for our 4:50 a.m. flight.
We'll likely be out of touch for the next few days, until we arrive at our hotel in London on Monday afternoon. Thanks for your continued prayers for us, for safety as we travel, for lots of time to talk, pray, and debrief after such an amazing journey. God has been faithful all along the way and we are grateful for His provision and His strength.
In the past three weeks, we have discovered what these veterans knew all along: Travel around Africa is complicated. You simply do not just go from one country to the next or one city to another. In the past three and a half weeks, we have visited four families in three countries. That has involved 16 flights in 9 countries, on 4 commercial airlines. It's also included two flights on a small Cessna aircraft with Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF) between Uganda and Congo. In Chad, we were qualified to fly on a United Nations sponsored flight across the country from N'Djamena to Abeche and then on to Guereda. These flights are free to humanitarian workers.
(Guereda International Airport)
In N'Djamena we traveled in the city in a public taxi--a small van crammed with 27 people. In Guinea, we drove from Conakry to Hamdallye in the Altmillers 20 year old Toyota Land Cruiser packed with 9 people, luggage and supplies for the next several months. In each of the countries, paved roads are scarce, travel is slow, and vehicles are generally heavy duty, four wheel drive.
Today we're on the road again, traveling back to Conakry to prepare for our early Monday morning departure from Guinea to London, via Casablanca, Morocco. No foreigners are allowed out on the roads after midnight, so we plan to spend the night in the airport in order to be ready for our 4:50 a.m. flight.
We'll likely be out of touch for the next few days, until we arrive at our hotel in London on Monday afternoon. Thanks for your continued prayers for us, for safety as we travel, for lots of time to talk, pray, and debrief after such an amazing journey. God has been faithful all along the way and we are grateful for His provision and His strength.
Praise the Lord for all He has accomplished thus far in your time -- we're all looking forward to hearing your stories and having you home. Those two front-seats in the sanctuary need to be filled by the Kimbers again! =)
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