Malawi

Well, after 48 hours of travel that included one near miss in Miami and a total miss in South Africa, I finally arrived in Malawi. I arrived in Orlando at the home of my friend and Intern Leader partner, Jen on the 11th. After a Costco trip and our last pizza for a while, we packed and re-packed our luggage to meet the airline weight requirements.
We left on the morning of the 12th to fly to Miami and catch our British Air flight to London. Due to weather in TX, the Miami flight was delayed by an hour, which meant a cutting it close in Miami. We made it to Miami, only to sit on the tarmac for 30 minutes. I got off the flight, and took off on a literal sprint through the airport, however, since the connection was international we had to get through security again. The men at security were very nice, and put us though quickly, yet sceptical that we would make it. I, again, took off on a sprint (sans the shoes I had removed at security) for the gate. I arrived at an empty gate as the fight attendants were closing the door to our plane. I began to cry and threw my shoes down in defeat. Apparently this little action tugged at the heart strings of the gate attendant, and he opened the door to the plane for me. I was pleading for them to wait for my friend who was running through the airport, but iIcould not see her behind me. They asked if I would go without her, and thinking of the other COTN leader we were meeting in London, I said yes and began to cry harder. Tears are the key... as they waited for Jen! Settled in and sweating profusely, we started out journey to London reliving the airport scene and laughing.
Once in London, after a night of fitful sleep and cramping legs, we decided to check and see if our luggage had made the Miami flight. The man at the counter told us we had nothing to worry about (in his charming accent). We believed him, though now I am not sure why... and planned out a day that included a trip to Windsor Castle and some English Pub food while we waited for Morgan, our other COTN leader to arrive in London. Once he arrived we set out to figure out the bus system and were on our way. When we got on the bus, we double checked that it would, in fact, drop us at Windsor Castle. The driver said yes, so we paid out pounds and took a seat... next to a man who knew we were on the wrong bus and would never arrive at Windsor; so he offered us a ride. We agreed, not giving a second thought to the bus fare that we had paid (this minor detail will come in very handy in a few hours).
After a day in Windsor, walking the grounds and surrounding town, we returned to the bus stop for a ride back to the airport...however, we did not have enough fare because we had wasted it earlier on the wrong bus...so I decided to do what any respectable American would do...I tried to charm our way onto the bus. After a big fat no from the bus driver, I began to check every payphone booth for pounds while my friends waited at the bus stop. I was able to find one pence, which, needless to say, is not enough. As a last resort, we begged a nice man and his wife for bus fare. God bless the English!
We got back to the aiport, only to discover that our flight to South Africa had been delayed by two hours. Which meant two things, a close connection in South Africa and two more hours to wait for our free meal on the plane! After waiting, and napping, we boarded the plane for another overnighter. The flight was uneventful, little did we know, our lives were about to become very eventful... We got off the plane and had 45 minutes to make our Malawi connection. We breezed through customs and security and arrived at the South African Air counter to get boarding passes. The man at the counter told us, "too late." Despite the fact that there were still 40 minutes before scheduled take off, despite the fact that we hadn't checked in yet becasue of a delayed flight, despite the fact that the next flight to Malawi was 24 hours away. He said, "too bad, take it up with British Air." British Air put us on the next flight for 24 hours later and put us up in a hotel for the night. There was nothing we could do, even if we all took off our shoes, threw them in dissapointment and cried, we were not getting out of there any time soon. So we went to the hotel to shower and hang out. We arrived at the hotel and it was like we had landed in Vegas! Casino and all! The hotel had casios, shops, and fine dining. It was such a trip to be in the middle of Africa and end up in this Vegas wanna be. However, the rooms were very nice (down comfortors and all) the food was great and once we were showered and had nothing but time, it felt good to relax.
The next morning we headed to the airport (3 hours early) to prepare for our flight to Malawi. We got on the flight with no problems. I was so excited that the trip was almost over, and after the past 45 hours of one thing after another, the 2 hour flight seemed like nothing. We landed in Malawi and headed to the baggage claim with high hopes. Morgan's bags made it, and one of Jens made it, but that was all. So, we filed a claim and went home.
As we drove from the airport, my mind was filled with a million thoughts. This was home for the next 14 months and I was taking it all in as we drove. Malawi traffic, people selling goods on the side of the road, the smell of the burning grass, and kids every where...surreal. We were welcomed to our village with open arms, hugs, and conversations with old friends. It was good to be here! I took a tour through "my house" and just sat and tried to process everything running through my mind. We had dinner, and returned back to the house to shower and sleep. The next day, a group from Florida was on the way, so they would pick up our luggage when they arrived. I didn't think a thing about it, and went on with my day of hanging out, catching up, and a trip to the village to be welcomed by the children. It was a great day, and it was nice to finally relax and get a feel for the people, routine, and ins and outs. We also went to the market so I could buy some fabric to wear for skirts until my luggage arrived.
While in the villalge we sang and danced with the kids. I taught them high 5 and we counted to 100, exchanged names, and continued to high 5 for about 30 minutes until they would sIng and dance to welcome us. After the welcome and introductions, we headed back home for dinner and time to un-pack and get settled. However, all of the other missing luggage had arrived except for mine. A blessing is, that I did send a suitcase to Florida in April since the team coming offered to bring some of my things so I could bring more than two bags. I did have some clothes, but was feeling really sad and angry that I didn't have all of my things. However, there was nothing I could do about it, so I tried not to let it bring me down.
Before bed, I was exhausted, but wanted to read my Bible before sleep becasue I was really feeling uneasy about all of the mishaps in the trip and the lost luggage. I began to question God and second guess my decision to come. Yes, I was tired, but was also vaulnerable and feeling like all of the mishaps were omens. I opened my Bible to Matthew and randomly began to read. I was reminded that God wants to bless our prayers and requests. Just like our earthly parents want to give us what we need, our heavenly father also wants to fill our requests. I was humbled, yet again, with the knowledge that it is just luggage, it will come, and that my focus needs to be on Him, not clothes. So as I fell asleep, I shot up one more prayer about the luggage and smiled at the thought of this journey and all I have been through for the last year preparing. God is good, all the time.