Never Have I Ever...

• never have I ever had to weigh my carry-on. Until today, when we all had to make sure our carry on (keep in mind ALL of our own personal items) and our backpacks weighed under 26 pounds together. Haha joke. My carry on alone weighed 30...add another 20 for my backpack. So therefore we stuffed and coughed up extra money with some frustrated I-just-want-to-be-there-already spirits to get our things to Kigali.
• never have I ever been on a flight with a medical emergency. Until today when 30 minutes into our 7 hour flight we hear a call for any medical doctors on board. As time goes on we saw more and more "important" people carrying medical emergency kits from the front of the plane to the back.
• never have I ever experienced an emergency landing. Until today when the captain announced a diversion into detroit would be necessary for the passenger in need of medical attention. Then...waited an hour and a half to get someone to approve our take off.
• never have I ever seriously feared missing a connecting flight and being forced to stay the night (or two) in Amsterdam. Until today, but thankfully God got us there JUST barely. (AND the pilot was oh so nice to call us out once all (40) of us boarded.)
• never have I ever BEEN TO RWANDA! Until today, just a few hours ago we landed and although it is dark I am already in love. Now I must admit, it is very different. Duh! I know...but there is some anxiety of the difference of culture, customs and way of life. I can only imagine how my eyes will be opened tomorrow after attending church, seeing everything in the light of day and visiting the Rwandan Genocide Memorial. I am just super glad to be here and have the ability to lay flat.

Praises: God was incredible today (not so sure what "today" is, but the last 24 hrs anyway), from keeping us safe to providing us with strength. Also, I can already see the relationships forming. We are here with a great group and I cannot WAIT to see how the Lord uses us each in different ways.

Prayer requests: More safety, and good health. That God is preparing our hearts and hands for his work, and also those we will come into contact with. I ask for prayers to ease nerves and settle hearts. This is a big culture shock for some of us and it is a bit overwhelming at times.

Overall, it has been the most exciting, scary, and eventful 24 hours of my life. I cannot believe this is really happening and I am still in awe of the greatness of our Lord! Woo hoo!