Monday and Tuesday - Poland

Yes, Edna and I are on our way! We arrived in San Francisco just after four thirty on Monday morning (John was so kind to offer to pick me up at home by three thirty: even for early birds that's EARLY)... As I am typing this, I am waiting for the boarding of my connecting flight (from Atlanta to Munich) to start. I am hoping that this plane has wi-fi so I can check my email and such and then you will be able to read this before I set foot in Germany... that would make me feel so computer savvy :-)!

It turns out that there is no wi-fi available above the ocean... oh well... I am typing this sitting at the gate in Munich while waiting for boarding for the last leg of today's travel. This part was a bit nerve-wrecking because I did not have much time; fortunately the arrival from Atlant was a little bit early so I had a few more minutes to find my way around another big airport. And really, I don't speak any German at all... I understand a little bit, but that's it! I am so grateful that all the people I asked for help, spoke English! It is now 9 o'clock in the morning on Tuesday in Germany, and midnight on Monday in California...

All the passengers for flight 368 with LOT to Wroclaw went on a little adventure... everybody went through the gate check-in, and we walked down several flights of stairs until we came to the door that went out to where the planes were parked on large slabs of cement and we all got on a bus and were driven around the planes and over large amounts of open spaces where there did not seem to be any valid traffic rules... if you know what I mean... it was quite funny! And then we stopped next to a rather small plane (I think it holds no more than 60 people) and all the passengers got themselves situated, climbing up the little ladder with their stuff and maneuvering about in a relavitely small space, and off we went into the wild blue yonder. My seat was in the 4th row from the front of the plane by the window where I saw a very large propeller that made a lot of noise after it was turned on. However, that decibel level wass nothing compared to what it was like when we were up in the air, as was the vibrating factor... I know that my teeth are really attached to my jaws after this one hour and 20 minute plane ride! Deafening. Very, very loud, really!!! I put my earplugs in just to get some relief... It was not only noisy, but it also made me think about the fragility of machinery like this...

And then we arrived in Wroclaw where we all got out of the plan, on the bus and to the one and only luggage carrousel to get my bag. Nobody asked to see my passport or anything like that, and outside was my friend Ellen! It was so good to see her and Martijn! They had brought their youngest daughter Lenna for the pick up round and it was really strange to speak Dutch in Poland! They took me to their home and gave me coffee and bread and cheese, and convinced me that I needed a nap to be able to function the rest of the day as it was only 12 noon when they picked me up. And of course, they were so right! I took a nap on their couch and felt much better after! After dinner they brought me over to the home of Ania, who is a member of The Rock, Martijn and Ellen's church and I will be staying with her until Friday. Ania and I had a lovely evening; we sat and talked over a cup of tea, we went across the street to do a little grocery shopping, and prayed together for The Rock church. Ania leads the intercessory prayer group and on Tuesday evening a few ladies come together in her flat to pray. This evening the other ladies could not make it; it was just Ania and myself and we had a great time!

It is now Wednesday morning; I had a great night sleep on Ania's couch and there is a new day ahead of me! How wonderful...