Ethiopia Report number 1

We returned from Ethiopia 5 weeks ago, so it is time for my first report!  I will be posting the entries from my journal.

6/30/10-7/1/10

Our team of 20 arrived at RDU airport at 11 AM Wednesday morning.  We spent 90 minutes checking in and going through security.  No suitcase was over 50 lbs. by the time we shifted around supplies and personal items.  Most were between 47-50 lbs.  The airlines were going to charge $250 for an overweight suitcase!  Praise the Lord for His sovereignty in this.

We buckled our seat belts for the RDU-Dulles flight and Matthea felt nausea.  She looked at me and said, “I think I am pregnant!”  At this point, there was no turning back.  As the plane turned down to face the runway I thought, “Lord, here we go!”  I was quietly thanking the Lord that Matthea didn’t feel pregnant before that time.  It would have been much more difficult to get on the plan for a 17-day trip knowing she was pregnant!  The flight was bumpy with a lot of turbulence, especially for Matthea.

When we arrived at Dulles and checked in with Ethiopian Airlines, the guy at the gate didn’t weigh any of our cary-on luggage.  He simply took our passports and baggage claim tickets and entered the information.  This was another praise.  Several were planning on paying a little extra to have an additional carry-on, or an overweight carry-on.  We didn’t even have to worry!!  The man was so nich and helpful, he even gave BeckyLynn a free upgrade to First Class!

Our 17 hour flight was long and uneventful.  Matthea’s nausea came and went and came back again.  We arrived in Addis and only had to pay a small fee at customs, again an answer to prayer.  We were greeted by our brothers and sisters here.  That has become my favorite part of this trip.  It was great to see Demisse, Nigussie, and Fitzum again.  BeckyLynn had already assigned the rooms at the guesthouse (she is organized), and she had put Matthea and I in the “Honeymoon Suite”.