Mission Trip Journal

July 22nd, 2009

Well, here I am, finally on my way to Kenya. I'm currently on my first flight to JFK. Which will connect us to Ghana, on the west coast of Africa.

At this point, I don't know what to expect, really. All I know is that it is going to be fantastic. I've only been travelling for about two hours... only over 30 hours to go... I have plenty to do though, and plus at the end of this trek, I will be in Kenya - which is enough motivation for me.

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Well, we're now descending into JFK. We're getting there... about 1/4th of our travels is almost over.

One of my friends I'm flying with, Amberly, used to live in New York, so I'm sure this will be special for her. I know what it feels like to miss home. I used to live in Atlanta, and we're stopping there on the way back. I'm stoked for that, even if it's only the airport.

I'm so pumped right now. I'm crossing waters I have never crossed before very soon. My first international flight. Let's hope it rocks.

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July 23rd, 2009

I'm on my international flight right now. It's not bad, I'm really enjoying it.

The passenger next to me, an African, is a very cool person. I'm glad I got paired up with a cool person on this flight. It makes it even more special.

We're about halfway to Ghana, right in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

I've watched a couple movies on the flight. So far I've seen Gran Torino which was pretty good, and I just finished watching Taken. Very good movie.

I guess I'm going to start reading Great Expectations. I need to read this "good" book before school starts and write a paper on it. Hoorah.

I read for 5 minutes and I got bored. Sweet.

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Well, we landed in Ghana. And my eternity long layover has begun. It is around 8:30 AM local time, and we can't even check in until 5:00 PM. Hoorah.

Oh well, I'm with people I can have a good time with, and I have a couple books. Plus my iPod has a significant amount of battery.

Wish me luck as I bear through this 12 hour layover.

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July 23rd, 2009... Again

"So what time is it, Joe?" we asked. "11:30 AM," he replies. Some groan with tired throats, but for some reason I just smiled and laughed. I've been sleeping on a public airport bench for 3 hours, and I laugh. Awesome.

There isn't much to do at this point except write in my journal and look around at the many faces around me. Both are fine, but it's sort of a realization that we're here. We're in Africa and the only thing stopping us from getting to Kenya is a layover.

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I'm exhausted. I'm not sure what time it is, but I know this layover has to end eventually. Rawr.

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We're about to board our final plane to Nairobi. I'm excited, and nervous at the same time.

Lately, I've come to like Africans more and more. Their kind nature and authority really is something I admire.

(I hate it when my voice cracks)

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July 24th, 2009

I'm on my last flight - to Nairobi. I can't tell you how excited I am, we're so close to getting there!

I've been thinking about something lately... A lot of people lost faith in God because they blame him for all of the bad things that happen in the world. But in reality, God doesn't make those things happen. People do. Aside from natural disasters and things that can't be prevented, humans are to blame. Ever since creation we have proven to be unwise and foolish. Selfish people cause a lot of the world's problems. Biggest example: money. Need I say more? Anyways, I hope this trip devastates me with culture shock and new things, because I want to learn from them.

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More posts to come soon! Bear with me here. There's a lot to type =P