Jordan day 1

So bear with me if this gets long but it was a very long 24 (?) hours. So I got to DIA (Denver International Airport) at 3:30 PM. Everything went perfectly ok, read some at the gate, got on the plane. As the plane starts to taxi, it hits me... I'm leaving. To cope, I automatically start saying Psalms 23, still not sure why I said it but it helped me so much through this crazy trip. God's word has that effect, to calm you when you start to freak out, and a bunch of other things.

So the plane takes off, and about half way to Dallas, I look out my window and see a rainbow. So I wondered... The story of the flood and the rainbow seems so much like a myth, quite like the Greek and Egyptian ones. It's some crazy impossible thing that explains why we have something people couldn't explain back then. I guess I kinda had always though of the story that way too, well in regards to the rainbow, not the flood itself. thought on it for a bit and realized, a rainbow is made from water droplets, signifies God's promise not to destroy the Earth by a flood, and usually appears at the end of a rainstorm, maybe during it. Suddenly it makes a whole lot more sense to me that God really did create the rainbow as a promise. Noah and his sons and their sons and etc. all knew the story of the flood and it's perfectly understandable that they would worry about another flood every time it rained. But God didn't give them the rainbow to comfort them DURING the storm, He gave it to show He had kept His promise at the END of the storm. Same idea works with many aspects in Christianity. We have to have faith through the bad times (or all of life) that God is really in control and keeping us safe. Then at the end of the trial, God shows us that He really was in control, mainly with the fact that the trial ended with you alive.

So I landed in Dallas with ten minutes till I started to board my next flight. It was dinner time, I was hungry. I'm starting to worry as I get off the plane, how will I make it to my gate AND get food. ok first lets get to my gate... God was looking out for me because my gate was just on the other side of the concourse, not in a separate one, which is usually what happens. Not only that, but there was a McDonalds on my way to the gate with nobody in line. By now, sitting still had taken its toll and I kept forgetting my order number and almost taking other peoples food (mine was slow for some reason). The food guy thought this was so funny, he gave me a free apple pie =). I made it to my gate, slowed down, and ate my food. I had just finished my pie when they started boarding my flight. God is good =)

The flight to London was odd, as was London for that fact. I sat next to a nice British women and in front of an American who had made this travel many times. He kindly advised me to take some Tylenol PM during dinner on the flight (wow two dinners!!! I needed it) and use a eye sleep thing... not eye patches but like two of them. I decided to watch a movie while I waited, I watched Chronicle.... biggest mistake of the trip. The movie is such a great movie but it is SO SAD!!!!!!!!!!!! I was just in this shock while watching it, I really couldn't eat much of my dinner, then I found it hard to sleep because I was still in shock! I really recamend this movie but just be prepared, it's pretty crazy. But I finally slept, about 4 hours, woke up with breakfast on a tray in front of me. That was nice, lol. Slowly ate that as my body disagreed about the time and he amount of sleep. Stayed awake so I could fly over cardiff =) that was brilliant =) no window seat though so I couldn't see Rose's house. OH speaking of houses, I'm pretty sure I flew really close to Lauren's if our digital map flight path was correct =) Fell asleep as I landed in London, got up and followed  maze into the connecting international flights area

London does it different than America. For one, their security is less strict. (I had to go through another security thing). Also, they only open the gate of a flight about an hour before it takes off. If your gate isn't open, hang out in the MASSIVE sitting and shopping area. SO many people, probably half of them spoke English, shops only took pound (not euro's, that's important to know), and I was very lost lol. I had a 5 hour layover and I couldn't decide what to do. I could sleep, but someone might steal my stuff, so I locked up one bag and decided I'd sleep on the other... but now I was thirsty. to the exchange desk to get some... English money? doesn't Rose always call it quid, no Shane, you know this. it's a pound. I still  said Euro to the exchange lady, ha! I got some pounds, exchanges other money to Jordian Dinar, bought some post cards (no Tardis) and some water. and some British chocolate =). I had a lot of "fun" trying to figure out how to use pounds, pence, and what the different coins meant but I managed to not make a fool of myself to any clerks! Took a 2 or 3 hour nap in the terminal, said it was nice to talk to a couple who sat by me while I napped and she asked if I had a good nap (I love when people play along) and I went to my gate.

Got on the plane. Well by this point my brain was gone. I made several mistakes on the London flight (attendant asked me if I would like chicken or Lasagna and I said I hadn't ordered yet, lol) but this flight was kinda the worst with that lol. I just was kinda clumsy, fumbled around, nearly knocked a lot of things over, took me awhile to figure out the tv thing, yeah I was just a mess lol. People would ask me a question and I'd just look at them.. realize they asked me something, then ask what they said. but I finally was able to focus and watch 2 movies: Sherlock Holmes 2 and We bought a Zoo. I had seen Sherlock, but it was still good to see it again since I was just in London. We bought a zoo was an increadable movie that finished literally right as we taxied into our gate in Jordan. Along the way I was able to see the amazing lights of Europe, specifically the lights of Athens Greece... Oh Athens I will visit you too one day. I've always dreamed of going to Greece so it was fantastic to see it, even if only by street light.

When I landed in Jordan, I started crying. I don't cry but the mixture of disbelief, joy, fear, loneliness, and emotions from the movie just caused me to silently (thankfully) break down. I was so happy that I finally made it to the place I had only dreamed of. God had got me here and I was so thankful, but this was just before the hardest part. I had to navigate immigration, customs, and a taxi to get to my hotel, by myself. GOd got me there. He set up events back in the states and here so that I got a good taxi driver and I wasn't scared when he drove off onto dirt roads in the desert. I made it to my hotel at 2 in the morning and slept very very nicely on a bed. a bed =) woke up 3 hours later with the sun and got online. More to come eventually =)