Update #1 Safe & Settled in the Middle East – Travel Days & First Day in Middle East

Praise God! After many hours of travel and a couple layovers, the team has arrived safely in the Middle East and has made it to their ministry base. Pray that the team is able to get some rest and has a smooth transition into life in the Middle East. We are praying for fresh energy and excitement to jump into the ministry and culture!

Take a look at their travel journey so far!

A few hours in the airport in Canada. We had time to grab a bite to eat and explore the aquarium before our flight left. We noticed we had the chance to fly on a two-story airplane!

This flight to Germany was overnight, and many of us only slept a little. We had a few hours to explore Frankfurt and enjoyed seeing and tasting part of the German culture. After troubleshooting how to store our luggage in the lockers at the train station, we got a bite of German culture.

U-Bahn Train from Frankfurt Germany Airport into the city of Frankfurt
Luggage Locker Shenanigans
Authentic German Bratwurst – Street Vendor 
Authentic German Pastries – Local Bakery (Walnusswecken & Dinkel-Mohnschnecke)
We loaded up our luggage and traveled 30 min to our ministry base.

Day 3 of trip: Landing in our final destination in the Middle East – 2:20 AM

We had the opportunity to fly over Israel and they have some unique local requirements when flying over this air space. 

We got off the plane from both the front and the back. Walked to the busses on the outside and entered the international terminal. First, we had to go through a prescreen to get visas. Next, we traveled to Immigration and had to state our name and the address of the location we were staying. Next, we went to the baggage claim, where one of our bags was missing. The bag was flagged after an inquiry about it, and we had to have an open bag inspection. After the large dominos and brads were cleared in the suitcase, we exited through customs. They flagged the same bag, and we had to do another open bag inspection.  Exiting the airport, our fieldworker had two drivers there to greet us.  

4:00 AM – Arrived at our ministry base

When we arrived, our fieldworker gave us a tour and shared with us the next-day plan. We took some photos and prepared for bed. 

Now it is time to get some rest!

Journal Entry Reflections: 

What are we Grateful for? 

  • All travelers were helpful, positive, and responsible
  • No significant issues hindered our travel
  • The food worked out well (opportunities and in-flight options) 
  • The in-flight service was wonderful 

What were some challenges? 

  • Long layover in Germany (~10 hours) 

Where did God show up? 

  • Travel Protection 
  • Inter-team relationships
  • Kind and generous international travelers. Many on our team interacted and communicated with other travelers, and it opened our eyes to God’s wonderful creation

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