Thursday am Travel

This morning we got up early and are in line at the Bangkok airport at 7:30 am.

We fly to (closed country) this morning. Pray that everything goes well, the time is tight to get on the plane, and we have not yet gone through customs yet.

This is the final country in our trip!

Update: running through an airport with sandals: difficult.

We are on board, having gone through an extra security check. PTL!

Update: Arrived safely. Picked up by AWR rep. PTL!

Update: Ate a wonderful lunch at the Union Mission. We are now at the hotel. There is a metal detector / body scanner at the entrance of the hotel. First time I have seen that before.

Reminds me of the sign at a Cambodian hotel: 

No guns

No bombs

No durian

It is a real joy to be here! Pray with us for a spark.

Inky Cold Darkness

As we fly, I have been surprised that we have flown north over Canada and the North Pole. Now we are over a polar sea in pitch blackness.

The flight tracker shows -85 degrees F outside. At about 1/2 way of the trip we are far from anything. The ocean is deep under us. It is dark and cold-- Inhospitable outside. This part of the globe has not had sunshine for months, and won't for a few more months. Winter rages its fury all around us.

But a way through which little could survive has been carved for us as we fly over the top of the globe and down toward Siberia Russia and then on to Hong Kong.

Speed: 530 mph, 31000 ft, 9 hrs more flight to go. (Obviously when this posts we will be on the ground.)

In going to this dark place, we need the spark of Jesus and the Gospel to give us warmth and light. Through the valley of the shadow of death -- He is here with us.

Pray with us for a spark.

The puzzle fit on four sides

Packing, weighing, re packing to redistribute the weight. Check

Stayed up late - finishing last min tasks, and getting ready for the 12 hr time change. Check

Driving to O'Hare airport. Check

Parking shuttle and being dropped off at the airport terminal. Check

Check-in and boarding passes. Check

TSA clearance. Check

Preparing to board the aircraft, with gear we really don't want to check under the belly of the plane. Praying.

On board with all carryons with us. PTL. Check

17 hr flight, ready to initiate! Thank you all for your prayers. The pilot just talked about our landing tomorrow night. (!)

Likely will be a day or so before we get connected again.