Travel Days

Well, it is Wednesday at noon Bolivia time (same as EST), and we are just getting settled into our hotel. I want to update you a little about our travel and what we have seen so far.

Monday, June 7th
5:00 PM—I take a shower in preparation for the long flights.

6:00 PM (shower + 1 hour)—I arrive at the church to finish last-minute details and eat one last meal with my family. Scott and Carina are at the church doing the same thing.

6:30 PM (shower + 90 minutes)--The rest of the team begins to show up. Spirits are high and excitement is in the air.

7:30 PM (shower + 2.5 hours)--The elders and deacons surround the team to pray for us and send us off. The team piles into three vehicles and heads toward SeaTac.

10:00 PM (shower + 5 hours)--The team boards our 10:30 Alaska Air flight to Miami. I am prepared with a prescription for Ambien and a new CD for the trip. I read somewhere that Jack White was the greatest guitarist of our generation, so I downloaded a White Stripes CD to see what all the hype was about. I put the White Stripes and Ambien to a face-off—would I fall asleep? The score after 1 round: White Stripes: 1; Ambien: 0. After 1 play-through, I turn off the music and doze off in my chair.

Tuesday, June 8th
7:30 AM EST (shower + 11.5 hours)--Flight lands in Miami. Everyone is excited to be near the beach and one step closer to Bolivia. We're all singing Will Smith's “Welcome to Miami.” Sadly, none of us know any other words to the song.

9:00 AM (shower + 13 hours)--We check all of our luggage for the flight to Bolivia and then jump on the city bus heading to South Beach. We find a spot on the beach and cool off in the water. Since I am preaching in a Bolivian church on Sunday, I decide I need to start working on my sermon. As great as South Beach is, it's not conducive to sermon-writing. I head off on my own to find a coffee shop.

10:00 AM (shower + 14 hours)--I ask a local if there is a Starbucks near by. The guy is understandably confused. It's 90 degrees. And humid. Everyone around me is tanning or swimming. I am looking for a hot cup of coffee. I notice that he's looking at me like I am crazy, and I say, “I am from Seattle.” Apparently, this makes sense to him because he perks up and directs me to a Starbucks within walking distance.

12:00 PM (shower + 16 hours)--I am in a Starbucks on South Beach listening to Bob Marley and writing about Romans 1:8-15.

1:00 PM (shower + 20 hours)--Lunch with the team at this sweet Cuban place. I have pulled pork Cuban style, rice, and plantains. I am not a plantain fan, but they taste great with habanero pepper sauce on them. While we are in the Cuban restaurant, it starts to pour. We decide to wait out the rain in the restaurant.

2:00 PM (shower + 18 hours)--We tire of waiting out the rain and decide to make a dash for it. There is a GAP across the street, and some of the people who went swimming need to buy some dry clothes. The last thing I say to Scott on the way in is, “Don't let me buy any jeans.” I leave with 2 pair (but they were only $14!).

3:00 PM (shower + 22 hours)--We wander Miami Beach checking out the shops and killing time. We all agree that Miami Beach needs a few more tattoo parlors. Somehow, we end up in a Starbucks.

5:00 PM (shower + 21 hours)--We return to the airport to wait for our flight to La Paz. I work on my sermon in a Starbucks. Others watch movies, read books, or wander the airport. Barb beats me and Scott in Bananagrams.

9:40 PM (shower + 25.5 hours)--We board our 10:40 flight to La Paz. We have all hit the wall travel-wise, and we are smelling pretty ripe (15 hours in 90-degree-90-percent-humidity Miami doesn't help). But, we are finally off to Bolivia. The feeling is surreal.

Wednesday June 9th
6:00 AM (shower + 34 hours)--We land in La Paz (elevation approximately 13,000 feet). The elevation sickness hits me immediately as I leave the plane. It's a combination of fatigue, dizziness, and nausea. I have never felt like this before. We meet up with our fearless leader Juan Pablo and his trainee Jorge and head to breakfast. We catch up with Juan Pablo and enjoy Bolivian cuisine.

9:00 AM (shower + 37 hours)--We board our flight to Cochabamba (elevation 9,000 feet). For the second time in my life, I get sick on a plane. I think it was a combination of high altitude sickness, dehydration, and lack of sleep. Fortunately, the flight only lasts 30 minutes.

10:00 AM (shower + 38 hours)--We land in Cochabamba. There to meet us is a group of kids from the Food for the Hungry sponsorship program. I recognize several of the kids from the packets we distributed at church. The kids are elated to see us—they give us all flowers and sing us a song. The director of the program tells us that they had been there since 9:00 and that the kids were enjoying seeing airplanes for the first time.

11:00 AM (shower + 39 hours)--We arrive at our hotel in Cochabamba. This really is a beautiful country and the people are wonderful.

Today we are just going to relax and recover from our flights. We will meet some of the workers from Food for the Hungry and learn about what the week has in store for us. Tomorrow the work begins!

Thanks for praying for us as we traveled. We didn't have any hiccups—no lost luggage, no hassles about visas—it was seamless. The representatives from Food for the Hungry are excited to see us and the team is eager to get to work. I will keep you updated as the week progresses. Right now, I need to take a shower!