On My Way to Belgium!

05:45 MDT

I am in the line in the airport, through security (my first flight is domestic, so I do not need to go through international customs yet), ready to board my first flight!  Please pray for God's will to be done as I travel.  I am incredibly excited to see the work that God will do as I go on this trip.  Also, given that I only had about 4 1/2  hours of sleep, please pray for strength!  My plan is to meet up with some friends during my layover (in about 4 hours), so that will be a nice break!

00:14 (I do not know what time zone)

This is the second time I have changed my watch in less than 24 hours, and I am becoming quite confused.  I am in a time zone several hours ahead of home, so it feels a bit like I am working a night shift.  If I were at home, it would still be Sept 24, but here in the air above Belgium, it is technically Sept 25.  Once I arrive in Benin, the clock will change again.  I am pretty exhausted! (:

This journey has been very overwhelming, most likely due to lack of sleep and the fact that I am travelling alone, further from home than I have ever been before.  When I am tired, things are more difficult for me to process.  This will be my first time in Europe.  It is different hearing a variety of languages being spoken in the airports, which I am having difficulty distinguishing between.  I am assuming that I hear Dutch (but not sure), as it does not sound quite like French, German, or Afrikaans!  Thankfully most of the flight announcements have been in English or a combination of languages, so I can understand what is going on.  I was not sure what to expect with Brussels Airlines.

I was reminded once again that God is faithful, and a friend quoted two verses for me (very thankful for technology right now!):

• Psalm 61:2 - When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.


• Deuteronomy 31:8 - And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not be dismayed.

Those verses and a call home (yes, I have already been homesick) were very helpful!

Already the landscape looks quite green.  We are imminently about to land.  This airline is so fancy...they gave us pillows, blankets, supper, drinks including free alcohol (probably not a good idea on so little sleep), and breakfast!






I was able to sleep intermittently throughout the "night".  The airplane was the largest I have ever been on, with three sections of seats and two rows in economy class.  There were 2-4-2 seats.  Now I am waiting to take a shuttle over to the next terminal, either now or in an hour, as my next flight is not for a couple more hours. 

Later!