To Cape Town...

This blog is ironically titled "Philadelphia to Cape Town - Express," because our trip today was anything but. The first leg of our trip from Philadelphia to JFK International Airport was artfully handled by the directions of Russ Pfeifer and the driving of Allison Linton. We arrived at JFK early with already an ample amount of pictures and an abundant amount of food and candy both provided by the Linton family. We met Anna Taylor at our gate. She arrived even earlier then we had, traveling from Boston, MA. All seemed well in hand...

However, our fifteen hour flight from New York to Johannesburg would gradually change the tide of our confidence and sense of accomplishment. After five hours on board we were wondering how much ground we had covered. After nine hours all the "good" movies from the in-flight movie menu had been watched. After ten hours we were in continually interrupted sleep. After fourteen hours our wearied eyes, stiff necks, and dry mouths pined for a chance to break the tedium and monotony.

The fifteenth hour arrived and we were greeted with both our second sunrise of the day and solid ground. Although Johannesburg Airport (I'm forgetting its given name) was a bit confusing it certainly was a welcomed relief. We were able to walk around and lie flat on benches if we (meaning Jean) so desired. Another surprise came for Jean and me in Johannesburg. For some unknown and perhaps mistaken reason, Jean and I were upgraded to first class. We weren't asked to upgrade, we were told we were upgraded. The others were not and they remained in the cattle-car-feeling of the economy class for our flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town. I blame my stylish dressing and great looks for my fortune. However, more seriously, it seemed that Jean and I were the only ones from the group not get a few solid hours of sleep on the death march flight across the Atlantic. Perhaps God provided this luxury for us to have some time for rest and recovery. I praise God for that luxury.

At any rate, we arrived safely and with no technical problems. Now, we're resting at a rather "cozy" but unique hostel called the African Train Lodge. It is a transformed railway station with several rail cars, holding 5-6 rooms or dinning facilities, on two unused tracks (very inconvenient if it were working) with a platform in between. We hear from the owner that Lausanne has booked the entire place for the conference starting Monday. So it should be a fun - although busy and crowded - few weeks here at the hostel.

Prayer Requests 
-Thanks be to God for a safe trip
-Pray that we will find rest tonight and throughout the weekend to be at full strength when the conference starts
-Pray for all the conversations we had with fellow travelers and acquaintances we met along the way. Pray that good seeds were planted and may grow into salvation.