We made it!!

     Yesterday, we asked those back home to pray for “divine appointments on the airplane” (requested by Laura)....and God answered those prayers!

     Right away on our first plane from Minneapolis to Chicago, Shiloh and I sat next to a very sweet lady who asked us about where we were headed and why, and so we told her all about the ministries we’ll be helping with in the DR Congo.

     In the Chicago airport, we had six hours to kill before our next flight, so we explored the food court and ate lunch there. After praying together for our meal, a man came up to us and thanked us for praying publicly.

     From Chicago to Brussels I was a little nervous because I would be sitting by myself (as in not next to any of my team members) for the flight. But, Shiloh encouraged me to be friendly and meet new people. I sat next to a college student going to study abroad in Spain, who happened to be very talkative. Keeping in mind a few techniques I’d learned recently from evangelism training, (like asking questions and the SALT method) soon I was able to ask a few questions that led to spiritual matters and faith. He was very eager to have a “religious conversation” and had a brief background with the church. He even had a few searching questions, himself, and when I couldn’t articulate an answer, I asked my teammates who stepped in and were able to relate well to the situation and explain some of these difficult questions. This was about as far as the conversation went, and while I encouraged him to read the Bible, he still may not. But, we thank God for this opportunity and pray that it puts a “pebble in his shoe” to keep searching for the Truth.

     Also on that plane, Laura met a couple who had their own orphanage in Kinshasa. They were able to connect the couple with our group leaders, and there is a very real possibility that Laura and Hailey could visit that orphanage this summer.

     Finally, on our longest flight from Brussels to Kinshasa, Hailey talked to a business man and was able to tell him about our trip and our purpose for being in Africa.

     Thank God for “divine appointments in the airport” and thank YOU for praying for us. Please continue to pray for the people we encountered and that God was able to touch their lives in a special way yesterday and today.

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After sitting on crowded, stuffy, cold airplanes today for over 20 hours, there are several things we’ve realized we take for granted.



T H I N G S W E T A K E F O R G R A N T E D ::

• Being able to brush our teeth more than once a day (or once in 26 hours)
• People who speak English
• A regular bed to sleep on
• Homecooked meals
• Personal space
• Long showers (or any shower!)

"For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."

John 3:17

*** Update since landing in Kinshasa:

     Despite all the worrying that our bags would be overweight, they all ended up being under the allotted amount and made it safely (except for one misplaced bag of almonds).  However, all of our checked bags, including supplies we'll be bringing to Gemena are still in Brussels, so the plan is to pick them up tomorrow evening.  In the meantime, we've been working on our team building skills by sharing what snacks and clothes we had in our carry-on bags or backpacks.  Please pray that our bags make it safely tomorrow!
     The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a whole different world to step into.  We've been realizing more and more how important it will be for us to learn as much of the language (Lingala) as we can as quickly as possible.  Pray that we will be quick learners!