Refreshed After 8 Hours of Sleep at Madidi

Sheryl sent an update by text (they lost power, so will be unable to access the internet to send emails or upload photos to the blog until the wifi comes back up); she says "Kim and I both slept well for 8 hrs. last night. We will be helping FTS folks with whatever they need today to prepare for the celebration."  

After arriving at Madidi, Kim and I both were able to nap for an hour or two. After a cool shower we were ready to go out for dinner.

We had a wonderful Italian dinner with Louise and her nephew, who is in town from South Africa for the celebration on Saturday.

We're headed to bed early (8:30 pm), so hopefully we'll be ready to help with all the celebration preparations tomorrow morning.

Sunrise Thursday morning at Addis Ababa airport in Ethiopia after a 12+ hour flight from Washington DC. Where did Wednesday go? Didn't get too much sleep on this flight either but my congestion is lessening and I didn't have any ear pain this time when we landed. Kim's back is doing okay. Thank you so much for your prayers.

I think we will be in Lilongwe in about 6 hours. We're supposed to arrive a little after noon their time.

We arrived safely at Dulles International Airport. Neither of slept much on the flight, so would appreciate your prayers for some rest on the long flight to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and then on to Lilongwe. Sorry no photo documentation.  :)

We left our house around 6:15 with four bags weighing close to 50 lbs each plus our carryons. There wasn't too much traffic, so we arrived at LAX in a little over an hour. Thanks, Jon, for driving us. 

The airport was eerily empty. We walked straight up to the self-check in counter and then the interesting stuff started happening. The machine had questions for Kim and me, so an agent had to come help us. Since we are flying through Ethiopia she asked if we had a Visa. What? We don't need a Visa for Malawi. Then she realized that was only if we were staying in Ethiopia. Then we continued to check our bags and sure enough the machine was ready to charge us $100 for each of our extra bags, for a total of $200. I explained to the agent that since we purchased tickets through Ethiopia Air and are going through to Malawi, United always honors the 2 bags for the international flights. The agent said she'd need to get a manager or see my documentation. I had no documentation, but showed her our tickets that showed us flying to Lilongwe. Jon, Kim and I all explained to her that 8 members of our church took 17 bags for free just a few months ago. She said, "Okay, she'd override the system but she made it clear she wasn't supposed to do this." So, for the first time in all of our church's Y-Malawi trips, we had momentary problems with our bags. But in the end we got checked in and didn't have to pay for the bags of goodies we are taking to Malawi. We got to our gate at 8:00 pm. Now to wait 2+ hours until we board the plane.

Thanks everyone for your prayers.

6:00 pm this evening Kim and I will begin our 40+ hours of travel to Lilongwe, Malawi, as we set out for LAX.  :)  We appreciate your prayers for our health and safety these next couple days. I'll try to post from the various airports as I get access to the Internet.

Here's what Kim and I will be doing on Saturday, November 2. So excited. Feel free to pray that the Lord will give me the words He wants me to share at this amazing event.

A new prayer request -- I seem to be coming down with a cold -- runny nose and drainage in my throat. Please pray that I can rest enough to fight off this bug before we leave tomorrow night.

A praise -- my back is feeling better this morning.

Louise sent us the official invitation to the FTS 10th Anniversary Celebration. So exciting to be able to celebrate this milestone with our Malawian brothers and sisters.

Thanks to all those at SCPC who came by to let Kim and I know that you will be praying for us on our trip. We are so grateful for your support.

A special thanks to those of you who surrounded us on the patio to pray. What a blessing you all are.

Both of our backs are on the mend, but please continue to pray.

More to come...

Getting ready to leave for Malawi

This Sunday, October 27, at San Clemente Presbyterian Church, between services at 10:00 and noon, please join Kim Nicolai and me (Sheryl France-Moran) on the patio by the Missions Cart for a prayer of dedication. The two of us will be traveling to Malawi on Tuesday evening, October 29 and returning Friday evening, November 8. We would appreciate your prayers as we have both been having back pain this past week.

Our trip to Malawi will include celebrating the 10th anniversary of our Y-Malawi partner Fishers Trainers and Senders (FTS). Below is a photo of the 2012 SCPC Y-Malawi team with some of the FTS staff after a night of Bible study, prayer, singing and dancing. So excited to celebrate with them next weekend.

Kim and I will also visit with each of the other Y-Malawi partners: CCAP Youth Department, World Vision, Nkhoma Hospital, Chiefs' Ministry and Opportunity International. We will also be able to meet with the folks in Nkhoma who coordinate the accommodations for our Y-Malawi teams each year.

We look forward to our time and would appreciate your prayers for:

• Healthy backs during the long trip to Malawi
• Safety in travel
• Good times of connecting with our partners
• Eyes to see what God wants to show us on this trip and ears to hear His voice through His people