EN ROUTE TO AFRICA!
Since our flight to Johannesburg had London at approximately the halfway point, we finagled a stopover of two days and one night. World Vision's internet staff at our London headquarters (located at Milton Keynes, about an hour north of London, with a small office in the heart of London itself) graciously hosted our short visit.
Lost and Found
After a smooth, nine-hour flight on British Airways, we were grateful to arrive at Heathrow Airport at about 11 a.m. local time (which was really about 3 a.m. back in Seattle -- yawn). However, our tiredness turned into panic when we discovered, after waiting in the customs line, that my passport was no longer in my possession.
We made our way back to the plane and explained our predicament. They let us on board and we searched all around our seats, but could not find the critical document. I had removed it from the passport holder in Seattle in order to board, so I concluded I must have dropped it there.
I guess I am a fundamentally disorganized person, I am always losing things. I've also discovered that usually, when I lose something important, if I pray about it, it turns up. So, as we waited in the gangway, we prayed and asked God to help us find it. No sooner had I said amen than an excited maintenance worker came rushing out of the plane, my passport in hand. He had found it lying on the floor, somewhere near our seats.
Mandy said he looked disturbed when I threw my arms around him and hugged him, but I didn't care. I wanted to hug God, and he was the nearest one I could find.
So we made it through customs, and ever since Mandy has determined that she would be the keeper of the passports when we are in an important place like the airport.
After customs we were met by David, from World Vision UK's internet staff, who treated us to a rush hour drive out of London and up to Milton Keynes. Our hotel was located right across the street from the WVUK office. We went in and said hi to everyone, then retired for a quick nap before a meeting and dinner.




Mandy has an intense appreciation for fine art and it almost killed her to only be able to spend two hours in that amazing place, looking at original paintings by Van Gogh, El Greko, Da Vinci, Rembrandt and many more famous artists throughout history. They were so close you could touch them, but I suppose if you tried you would certainly regret it. The stern-faced guards in each of the many rooms we visited also informed us unsmilingly that absolutely no photos were allowed.
After this we headed back to the office, picked up our gear, then caught a taxi back to Heathrow for our 11-hour flight back to Johannesburg. We were tired but happy.
1 comment:
You are ignorant!
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