The Preposterous Journey

January 3rd, 2024

I couldn’t call this blog Insane Travel Day again, so now it’s the preposterous journey. And it was for sure an interesting journey. At 4pm on New Year’s Day, we loaded up in vans with all our earthly possessions to head to the Bangkok Airport for our flight at 2am. Don’t ask why, just rest in knowing that X Squad doesn’t tend to get places on time, so we allow a good extra bit of space to ensure we don’t miss our flights.

We made it to the airport, and had a good bit of time to go out if we wanted. At this point, I was kind of sick (yet again, except instead of throwing up now it was a cold), and only wanted food. After paying an obnoxious amount of money for Subway (the first I’d had since leaving the States), I was still hungry, so we checked out the 7-11 before we left Asia. I got my last pack of Creamos (if you ever go to Asia, get creamos, because they are one of the best packaged cookies you could ever hope and dream about, and I definitely had far too many during my time there), and I was set.

The long wait in the airport included worshipping, playing cards, making art, and laughing. It was a splendidly good time, and then we said our goodbyes to our mentors and proceeded to go through the airport.

It was an interesting one, and we ran into a little conflict, but the Lord is faithful, and we made it into our flight in time, but only after I got more food of course.

Unlike most times, I was able to sleep a good bit, probably due to my sickness. Laughter is the best medicine though, and here comes yet another story involving the Canadian.

Imagine this. We are on our way to Ethiopia, it’s a long flight. I’m on the aisle seat, and one of my lovely sisters in Christ is on my left across the aisle and sitting next to her is the Canadian.

We are almost to Ethiopia, and it’s time for breakfast. The stewardess asks me if I want pancakes or eggs, and me not having had any pancakes in a really long time, says pancakes please. She asks the question, pancakes or eggs yet again, and I say pancakes please just a wee bit louder this time and she says, pancakes it is. I’m like a little kid on Christmas, and go to open my tin of food, and it’s eggs-and they definitely don’t look like they ever saw the inside of a shell, or a chicken for that matter. I’m slightly devastated.

I lean across the aisle, and to my sisters dismay, the same thing has happened to her. We are outraged at Ethiopian airlines, but are resting in knowing that the Lord provides. But then the cherry on top happened. The Canadian, being asleep, is jolted awake by the stewardess, who promptly asks the fateful question of pancakes or eggs. The Canadian had learned something useful in Asia, and he would just put his hands together and bow when in a situation, of any sort really, and it would help him immensely most of the time.

In this same situation, being barely awake, he bows, and lo and behold-he gets pancakes and gleefully enjoys them while we are left with our rather pale eggs. The Lord does have a funny sense of humor though, doesn’t he?

After touching down and stepping foot on Ethiopian soil, or rather concrete, we were able to stretch our legs for about an hour and then took off for Johannesburg, which was about a 6-hour flight.

This time, I watched part of a movie, prayed, and still being sick, slept for most of it. Then, we made it to Johannesburg. Due to some technical difficulties, we were left to spend 14 hours overnight in the airport. This was an interesting time full of lots of coffee and little sleep, and then we took off on our final flight to Port Elizabeth.

And then, we embarked on the final leg of our journey to Jeffrey’s Bay on a bus ride that was accompanied by the spectacular views of our surroundings and more sleep-at least for some of us anyways.

And that my friends, was how X Squad made it from Asia to Africa.

Blessings in Christ,

Gracie Yoder