Delayed again!

We arrived this morning to learn our flight was delayed... again.  Instead of leaving at 8am we are now looking at about 10:30 am.  And even better, the plane JUST arrived at the gate:

And there was much rejoicing!!

This should get us to Senegal at about midnight local time & Johannesburg at 11am Sunday morning local time (4am EST & 3am CST). 

Additionally, I was just given this information: 

For families and friends of team members:

In case of emergency, you may contact Africa University Development Office located in Nashville, TN at 615 340-7438. They will know our location and can contact us.

 

We are all doing well.  Keeping in good humor and spirits even in spite of all the delays.  We are going with the flow and having fun getting to know each other and preparing our body, minds & spirits for what lies ahead.  Thanks for all the comments & well wishes!  We've enjoyed them all!!

Next stop... Africa!

The Best Laid Plans...

And astray they went!

After sitting in Washington Dulles Airport for 4 hours, we learned that our South African Airlines flight to Johannesburg was cancelled.  Instead we were beginning booked on the next flight -- tomorrow morning at 8am!??  Due to those mythical yet ever-present "mechanical issues."  We wonder if those "mechanical issues" had anything to do with there only being 50 passengers on our international flight.

So, instead of Africa, we ended up at the Embassy Suites in Herndon, VA.  South African Airlines put us up here along with dinner & breakfast.  Now, here I sit in the front room of the suite where the first flat screen TV is -- the second being in the bedroom in front of the king size bed.  Really?

Oh -- but we got to see our first wildlife of the trip:

Swans in a pond in the lobby.

Really?!

The silver lining of this delay is that I got to spend the evening with my great friends, Jen & Carmelo Landis-Santos, and their son, Pablo.  (BTW, when did he get to be four?)  It turns out that they live about twenty minutes or so from this this hotel.  So after my free dinner, Jen came to pick me up and brought me back so I could see their new house -- which is very lovely!  Pablo gave me the tour and then insisted that I play soccer with him in the living room. 

After he went to bed, the rest of us had a great time talking and catching up.  What an incredibly unexpected blessing for which I am most grateful.

The adventure continues bright & early tomorrow early with a cab ride at 5:45am to take us back to the airport for an 8am flight to Johannesburg. 

The World Becomes Smaller

As we sit here in Washington Dulles International, we are discovering the fun of traveling with technology.  Two of us have brought laptops (thank you, COH, for lending me one!) and we've logged into our email & facebook & twitter & on & on. 

Here is a picture of us on our computers looking at Facebook...

In addition to ZimBlog, you can also join Friends of Project Tariro group on Facebook.

As the world becomes smaller for us, I hope it does for you, too, by following our journeys!

The Rest of the Story

Completely humbled & grateful.  Beyond this, I have few words. 

I learned today - for the first time - a more complete picture of how I came to be selected for this Caravan.  I do not know how to appropriately express gratitude other than to be humbled by the compassion and grace at play.  I learned today that a person gave up her own grant to make this journey because she felt I needed to go.  And not only that, she lobbied to make this happen. 

May I be able to embody this grace, mercy and sacrificial giving in order to share it with all I meet in Zimbabwe.

Orientation

So I finally made it to Nashville -- only 6 hours late.  Oy vey.  I was the last to arrive but many others had had difficulties with travels today.

I met the team for the first time today and am very pleased.  Some great skills and experience represented around the circle.  I am, however, the youngest and one of three men.  I believe, I am also the only person who has not traveled internationally before.  A good number have even been to Africa before this.

Yet, what I bring to the table is my knowledge, training, and experience with HIV/AIDS.  It's already become clear that I will be the HIV/AIDS expert for our journey. This afternoon, we ran out of time during orientation for all of the information that we were to cover.  So the orientation leader (who is not going on this caravan to Zimbabwe) asked me to cover HIV/AIDS more in depth when we arrive in Zimbabwe because she kept turning to me for more information anyway. 

I'm honored to be able to contribute to the trip in this way.  And just like I told you in the HIV/AIDS/STD Dept. at COH, I bring you with me through our collective experience and knowledge.  Thank you for the education you provide me as we work together and continually challenge each other to push to the next level.

Tomorrow, the real travel begins.  The shuttle arrives at 6am to take us the airport for the next leg of our journey.  Please continue to keep us in your thoughts & prayers. 

And the anti-malarial meds begin.

An orientation... in more ways than one.

The Travel Plan

As I sit here in lovely O'Hare Airport for the inevitable delay and wait (some of my own doing and some not), I thought I'd share the travel plans for the next several days.

To begin, I am waiting for my flight to Nashville.  There I will meet up with the rest of the group traveling to Zimbabwe.  Feeling a bit anxious about that part as I've not met any of these 10 people before; however, we,  from varied backgrounds & parts of the country, share a common purpose and for this I'm grateful.   In Nashville, we gather for orientation for our travels and for group formation (I'm having unfavorable flashbacks to HS!)

We stay over night in Nashville and depart Friday morning for Washington Dulles to transfer to our international flight after a several hour layover.  Friday afternoon/evening we take off over the Atlantic Ocean for Africa.  Eight hours or so later we'll land in Dakar, Senegal where we'll switch flight crews, possibly refuel and then continue on our way.  Another 8-9 hours later we'll land in Johannesburg, South Africa where we'll transfer to another flight which will take us into Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe.  We'll stay over night in Harare and worship in local congregations on Sunday morning before driving eastward to Mutare, Zimbabwe which is on the border of the country with Mozambique.  Mutare is where we will be for just over a week.  Mutare is the home to Africa University, Old Mutare Mission Hospital and Project Tariro. 

In all -- 22 hours in the air... one way.  Not counting the additional air travel to Victoria Falls while we are in Zimbabwe. 

I must say... quite an adventure for a someone from small town Ohio who has never traveled out of the United States.
 
But first... to get out of O'Hare...

S.O.S.

So today while I was at work trying to get everything in place before I leave for two weeks, I received an email entitled "S.O.S."  The email was from the medical clinic at Africa University with a last minute request for supplies that they would like us to bring with us to Zimbabwe.  The list was composed of antifungal drugs/ creams/ gels/ shampoos that are needed by the people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).  Included on the list was Head & Shoulders Shampoo and Selsun Blue Shampoo.  The email went on to explain that a vast majority of PLWHA that they treat develop dermatitis and/or ringworm following their diagnosis and these shampoos/gels/creams help combat these conditions.

Since receiving this email, I have been trying to imagine living conditions where an urgent S.O.S. is needed for dandruff shampoo.  In four days, I will no longer need to imagine. 

Off to shampoo aisle and then to continue (finish?) packing.

Just over 32 hours till the first flight...