| This is Africa | on the way...

| Before |  

*a little something I wrote before leaving that was never posted* 

July 21, 2012

AFRICA! T-6 days until I am on my way to South Africa! I can't wait, as I prepare to go my mind is on many things. My only real worry is what will happen when I return, what I'll be feeling. I have a very diffilcult time adjusting back to the norm, two weeks isn't a lot but I love doing things and going places, coming home will be hard.

Before leaving for South Africa I had so much going on, so much I wanted to get done. I had a wedding to shoot the night before I left, there was editing to finish up, cleaning to do. I had even planned to make a skirt before I left. However much of that didn't get done, however most of the really important things did. We got to the airport, got our bags checked, went through security and found our gate. Finally! I was so excited. Throughout the whole process of planning and fundraising there wasn't one thing I was worried or scared about until about a couple weeks from our departure day. (Communication with my sister is sometimes really hard and I started to worry about that...)

As we were sitting waiting for our flight we met some really nice people. Two Christian couples who have experience with YWAM and a young man from Rwanda who is a Christian and a pastors kid. 

It was so awesome to talk with these people and the irony that was there. (In January my sister is going to Rwanda for 6 months for a DTS with YWAM) We had great conversations and were greatly encouraged by these people. 

My sister and I with our Rwandan friend.

After awhile we found out our flight had been delayed, and delayed so had to go and switch flights.

Our flight from Atlanta to Johanesburg was switched and we went back to our original flight to Chicago.

30 min late our Chicago flight was delayed again, which messed up the rest of our flights

sooooo...

Back to the help counter we go again,

there wasn't anything available for us to get out of Detroit until like Sunday afternoon.

UNTIL... the lady found us a flight out of Detroit at 9:50pm to

PARIS!!!!! with a 12 hr layover and get us to Johanesburg Monday around 11am.

So we took it.

*(Who is excited? THIS GIRL!)*

I was so so so excited to go to Paris. My sister and I decided we were so checking out the city!

This was so ironic because we had talked about doing this but then discovered the flights were really expensive.

At this point we knew the power of prayer, God had answered so many spoken prayers as well as unspoken.

He had opened doors for us to talk to His people.

Our trip started off rough but great!



On the plane headed to Paris

When we arrived in Paris we were so overwhelmed, the flight had been good for me but not my sister.
The Paris airport was so complicated and confusing. Eventually, after talking to several airport people we finally found someone who helped us with a map and a good suggestion of how to get to the Eiffel Tower.
We bought tickets and was on our way.
We took the train and subway to a stop near the Eiffel Tower.

Paris was pretty great! I was so glad I had my camera with me,
The entire time my sister and I kept saying
"OH MY GOODNESS I CAN'T BELIEVE WE ARE IN PARIS!"
It was so surreal.

We found this sweet old women on the way back from the Eiffel Tower, she was sitting there begging.
We gave her some euros, I wish we could have done more.

BTW: on our flight to Paris my sister and I were talking and she made a comment and said "I wonder if there is accordian music always playing in Paris?
On our train ride into Paris we hear this music playing, we turn around and there is a guy on the traing playing the accordian,
we see several more in the time we are there.
so there is your answer to that.

We made our way back to the airport and settled in for a few hours, and found food (expensive food)


Bought a sandwich and 2 glass bottles of sparkling juice for $20.00 (American currency)
A  little  lot ridiculous.



I typed a long FB message on that there keyboard, I made a lot of mistakes because the keyboard is so different then what I am use to.. it was an experience.





 Finally we boarded the plane,
and I got a stamp on my passport! Holla!
And off to Johanesburg we go....
(BTW I was asked if I was South African and if I had a South African passport a couple of times)