We took the boys to Carolyn's on Thursday night and went home and checked our packing again. The kitchen was waiting for Brian to come over and paint while we were gone; he came over earlier that evening to get an idea of what to do. We'd also eaten out with the Holtons that night.
Good times.
Got up and showered Friday morning and then packed. Off to Bojangle's for biscuits and drinks and then to the church. Luckily, we were a few minutes early, but already everyone was there - including Carolyn and the boys. After hugs, kisses, pictures, prayers, and, yes, a few tears, we were on the bus. Oh yeah - Kenn had to see passports before we got on!
The trip flew by to the airport, and then we were offloading supplies and baggage, and Kim was renting carts. At the checkout desk, we had a nasty surprise; Delta charged us extra for our bags. We went ahead and checked them all the way through to Ouagadougou, while Kenn let the FBC Dillon folks know there might be a problem.
We waited a long time in the airport, a "short" delay. Once in the air, we had a good fast flight to JFK. We landed almost on time. Kenn and TJ led the way from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1 and then we headed through our baggage screens.
Someone in our group pointed out that TSA should profile. In retrospect, this is a good idea. Most women aren't going to blow up planes, especially ones dressed like American women! I know I look Hispanic or Middle Eastern, and I don't mind being searched. But my wife or some of the kids in our group - come on!
But we went through the humiliating patdowns anyway. Amy's bag was searched because of all the spare batteries she was carrying, plus the motor for the inflatable mattresses. The TSA agent did her job well and professionally...
Then we went off to a hamburger stand in the terminal, where our group, sans Kenn, ate our last American meal for a week. It was still expensive. The FBC Dillon group got in, and it was here that we first met Paulette. We boarded our plane pretty much on time - I think - and got a lasagna meal. Over the Atlantic, I moved to the back of the plane and stretched out in two seats for a few hours of sleep. When we woke, we got some sort of Middle Eastern chicken.
Oh my..........
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
First Day
We got up Friday morning and got ready. We had packed the night before, and the only thing we had to do was eat, finish our testimonies, and get to the church by 8:30. I typed mine and we left for the church. We had our Bojangle's and went on to the church.
Carolyn brought the boys (they had spent the night with her) to see us off, and a lot of other people from the church were there too. We hugged and kissed everyone good bye and we were off. We stopped before leaving to say prayers and take pictures.
We got to the airport about 10 and went through security. Security is more of a pain than it is helpful - I guess. It says something for us that we haven't had an attack in almost 10 years, but it's still a hassle going through backpacks, taking off belts and shoes. Can't wait to tell you about the searches in Morocco, though.
Our flight to JFK in NY was uneventful, but it left late and we had time to make up. We did so, and got to Terminal 2 on time. We grabbed our stuff, walked to Terminal 1 (in 30 degree weather and snow on the ground) and went back through security. Again, what a pain. After that, we ate at a restaurant with part of our group. Had a burger and fries - the last real American food for 9 days. At this point, the Raleigh group arrived and we started introductions.
We met Paulette in the airport and got introduced to her. As we waited for our flight, the members of our group recharged iPhones and mp3 players one last time. Then we all boarded our flight to Morocco. We tried to snooze overnight, after another supper of lasagna.
Carolyn brought the boys (they had spent the night with her) to see us off, and a lot of other people from the church were there too. We hugged and kissed everyone good bye and we were off. We stopped before leaving to say prayers and take pictures.
We got to the airport about 10 and went through security. Security is more of a pain than it is helpful - I guess. It says something for us that we haven't had an attack in almost 10 years, but it's still a hassle going through backpacks, taking off belts and shoes. Can't wait to tell you about the searches in Morocco, though.
Our flight to JFK in NY was uneventful, but it left late and we had time to make up. We did so, and got to Terminal 2 on time. We grabbed our stuff, walked to Terminal 1 (in 30 degree weather and snow on the ground) and went back through security. Again, what a pain. After that, we ate at a restaurant with part of our group. Had a burger and fries - the last real American food for 9 days. At this point, the Raleigh group arrived and we started introductions.
We met Paulette in the airport and got introduced to her. As we waited for our flight, the members of our group recharged iPhones and mp3 players one last time. Then we all boarded our flight to Morocco. We tried to snooze overnight, after another supper of lasagna.
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