Answered Prayers

Today was another great day of travel. We woke up early so that we could be packed and eating by 7  and ready to leave soon after. The place we stayed at offered free transportation to the airport. The only problem it is a round trip of about 40min and because they have limited space in their vehicles, for our group, it required 3 trips. There was alot of waiting involved, but everyone was able to make it on time. For those of you who were concerned and praying hard, Seth and I were able to leave the country of South Africa. They were a little confused by our electronic copies of our documents, but they let us through. Praise the Lord. Thank you for all your prayers. We boarded the plane to Livingstone, Zambia and had a great smooth flight. The end of t his flight was very scenic as we flew over the Zambezi river and saw the mist of the falls off in the distance. It was a neat view. After arriving at the Livingstone airport we gathered our luggage, and made a short stop at the markets to pick up some items, and then we headed north to Kalomo, to the Namwianga Mission. We unloaded our luggage, and soon after the power went out. We grabbed our lights and had a nice dinner together provided by our wonderful cooks. Tonight we had lasagna, garlic bread, and salad.

Soon after Ian, Ashley and I rushed off to the Havens to see the babies before they went to sleep. On the way there we ran into Webster, who is a night watchmen for the houses we live in while we stay here. The night watchmen consists of Webster and Justin. They are responsible for keeping all of us safe during the night. Preventing theft, and scaring away animals. They are two great men, whom I spent much time with last year. As soon as Webster realized who I was in the darkness, he was so excited that he shook my hand many times, and then picked me up, and then continue to shake my hand over and over. It was good to see him again, and he was so excited to see me again. I quickly told him that I would be back later tonight to spend time with him.

When we arrived at the Havens we went straight to Haven 3 were the majority of our little favorites live, (Though they are not so little anymore). We were excited to see them. I was disappointed when I found out that Sidney had be taken back to the Village with her family. It is a good thing for her, but still a little sad for me, but now I have the opportunity to fall in love with a new baby. I will also be looking for a way for me to possible visit Sidney and her family, If I can find someone to take me there.  We will see.

After the Havens we walked back on the road. The stars were absolutely amazing. I had forgotten how bright they are. As we were walking a friend of Ian's drove by and offered us a ride, So we rode back to the Hamby House. When I got back, I spent some time chatting with Kara and Carla, both of them are awesome supervisors. It was fun to hear stories from professionals in the field, and hear some things to look forward to as a professional.

Finally I was able to meet with Justin, I sat and caught up with him for an hour, and then eventually Webster came, and we talked late into the evening until it was time for bed. They are great friends, I am looking forward to spending more time with them this year. God is good.

Thank you for all your prayers and support. Continue to pray for the group to be well rested and remain healthy as we start to work here.

Thank you.

Ben

Operation Dry Pants

Today was the first day we were able to go see the babies. We had french toast for breakfast at 8 and then headed to the Havens to meet the babies. When we got there, many of the toddlers were out playing on the playground. We immediately went to them, picked them up, and didn't put them down until we had too. Once the rest of the group arrived we were given a tour of the three houses. The Havens are made up of three different houses. Haven 1 houses the little babies, ages 0 to one year. Once the babies are a year old, healthy, and thriving, they are then moved to Haven 2, which houses all the healthy toddlers. Haven 3 holds the ill, and sick babies of all ages. Once babies are healthy again, they are then moved to Havens 1 or 2.

The rest of the morning we played with the babies, and enjoyed getting to know each of the babies in all the Havens. I saw many of the babies that I knew last year which was very exciting. It was neat to see how much they had grown, and it was comforting to know that they were doing well.

When working with babies there is always a chance that you will get spit up on, peed on, or worse. It is always a mission of mine to remain dry as possible. Today was a fail. Within the span of 30 min I had been peed on twice. The first wasn't so bad, but the second...I was drenched. Operation Dry Pants did not work out today. But in the future I will be prepared with an extra pair of pants. Wish me luck.

After hanging with the babies all morning we headed back to the Hamby House for lunch. We had huge baked potatoes will all the "fixins" They were delicious. After lunch we packed up all the donated clothes and bottles and headed back to the Havens. We presented all the gifts to the Aunties and then spent more time with the babies. I spent alot of time with Wilma and other babies in Haven 1. Many of which were in our feeding class last year, and now are doing quite well. It is always rewarding to see progress with the children.

After visiting with the babies again we headed back for dinner. Tonight we had grilled cheese for dinner. After dinner we all spent time together Mann house playing catch phrase. It was nice to hang all together and joke around, and not be on a plane. After playing we all slowly faded to our rooms and headed to bed.

In my bathroom I had a praying mantis, frog, and two very successful (large) wall spiders. Many would be upset by this, but I knew that they were protecting me from the malaria carrying mosquitoes. The spiders are you friends!

Thank you for all your prayers and support.

Continue to pray for our group.

Ben

Operation Yellow Papers

Today was a fairly successful day of travel. Everyone in the group was in high spirits and ready to go. Checking bags and moving through security went well. As we were slowing moving through the security line, we were all pulling out our passports and boarding passes, and that is the point in time I remembered that I had not packed my immunization records. I causally asked Dr. Weaver what would happen to a person who had forgotten these records? To that she replied, "Ben! They don't let you leave!" I immediately called my mother who of course was teaching a piano lesson. So the she called out for Josh, and of course Rachel ended up on the phone. I calmly told  Rachel my situation. So calm, that she didn't really understand the seriousness of the situation. I knew exactly where my records were. In my room in Lafayette, Indiana, in my sock drawer. Sure enough there they were. Afterwards my sister and brother raced to the church building to use the scanner, where the lovely secretary, Mrs. Rachel Ravellette was able to assist and scan and email the documents to me.  Thank you! Tomorrow I believe is the day we will find out if these scanned records are good enough to get me out of the country of South Africa. We shall see. No need to worry though, everything will be taken care of I'm sure. Be praying hard that things will work out. A classmate of mine, Seth, is in the same position as I am. The rest of the day went great, the flights were awesome. I made a new plane buddy, and I had ostrich salad for dinner, and it was delicious.

Tomorrow we will return to the airport at 8 am and be on the plane for Livingstone, Zambia around 11ish. And then we will drive from Livingstone to Kalomo where the mission is located, and where we will be spending most of our time. Please pray that we make it thought the traffic alive and in one piece tomorrow, and that the flights and transportation go well.

Thank you for all your love and support!

Ben

The Trip Begins

Dear family and friends,
Today the long journey to Africa beings. I want to thank all of your for your support and prayers from this past semester. I am very happy to share that I was able to raise all my funds this year for the trip. God provides, and I was blessed richly. Thank you!

Today a group of us are meeting in the Reynolds parking lot at 12:00 to leave for Little Rock, where at 3:55 pm we will depart for Atlanta and arrive at 6:29 pm. There in Atlanta we will meet up with the rest of our group and then depart from Atlanta at 8:05pm and arrive in Johannesburg, South Africa on Wednesday at 5:25 pm. This flight is 15 hours and 20 mins long, and I believe it is the longest flight I have ever been on! Last year we flew from Washington, DC to Ethiopia, making it only a 12 hour flight.  Be praying that all goes well as we fly this long trip forever.

Similar to last year I will be posting on this blog daily while I am in Africa. I hope that this blog can be a blessing to you as it is to me. I would love for you to comment on the blog with any questions or comments that you might have, or you can always email me. I will also be trying to post update links on Facebook, but sometimes Facebook does not behave correctly in Africa/ the internet goes out/ the power goes out. : )

Thank you for all your love and support!

Ben