JOURNEY to QUARANTINE!

We arrived safely in Raleigh, N.C. Monday night, March 23, from New York and settled in for our 14 days of self-quarantine. First of all we would like to thank everyone for praying for us. I don't think we would have made it without the Lord moving in amazing ways in response to the prayers of His people. We just barely slipped in on the last flights out of Tanzania and the last flights into the US. Words cannot express how thankful we are to be back in N.C., even though we returned to a much different one than we left two years ago.

Our journey began back in Kigoma when we learned from Paula, who had come to help us with homeschool, that her travel agent advised her to return now to the US, or plan on staying abroad for an indefinite amount of time. He booked her flights and hotel with her leaving Kigoma the next day! With this new information, we made the decision to try to change our flights and return before the window closed. We were able to change flights and fly back to the US with Paula, and even reserved rooms at the same motel, not knowing where she was staying! We saw the Lord's hand in our travels in many ways which I will eventually share with you. Our journey began with hand washing, sanitizer, and temperature checks while leaving Kigoma and boarding our first plane to Dar Es Salaam. We were all very excited to begin our journey back to the US after being in Tanzania for over two years. Although we were able to change our flights, we had no idea the challenges we would face!

When we arrived in Dar on Saturday afternoon, we checked into a small motel across the street from the airport for one night. Our flight to Dubai was scheduled to depart the next day (Sunday) at 4:00pm. Early Sunday morning, I noticed a notification on my Emirates app which said that our flight from Dubai to NY (JFK) was cancelled! Yes, the stress levels rose, anxiety set in, but the prayers went up. We did not know what to do because it was Sunday, and the office in Tanzania was closed and due to high call volume, we could not get through to speak to anyone. Our best bet was to arrive early for our flight to Dubai to see if there were other options for us, while continuing to pray.

We arrived at the airport, which was almost empty (above), several hours early. We learned that JFK had closed the day before for a few hours, and then reopened because of a corona virus related issue. That temporary closing sent everyone's itinerary into disarray! There was hope that the flight from Dubai to JFK was back on schedule, but no one knew for sure. While talking with other travelers, some said they thought everything was back on schedule, while others had their doubts. When the first Emirates employee arrived, they were met with many worried faces, but unfortunately had no answers.

Everyone would have to wait for check in to find out any information.

Eventually we were allowed to check in for our flight to Dubai, but we were told we could not get our boarding passes for the next flight to JFK! The lady checking us in advised me to get the boarding passes when we arrived in Dubai, which was concerning because Paula was given her boarding passes for that flight along with another family we met along the journey. We continued to move forward not knowing the outcome, but believing the Lord would work everything out. While we were about to board the flight, the lady who checked us in, sought us out in the large crowd, and handed me our boarding passes for the flight to JFK! We were so thankful for this huge answer to prayer!

We made it to Dubai, and then eventually on to New York 14 hours later where we landed at JFK. Amazingly, we passed through immigration and screening with no problem and almost no waiting! After saying good bye to our dear friend Paula, we made our first stop at Dunkin Donuts, which we thoroughly enjoyed, and began another journey to find the rental car company. It was 37 degrees and raining when we arrived in NY, which was refreshing for about 3 seconds! We almost froze to death, as the kids were all in shorts and flip-flops! We survived, found the rental car, and began a set of new challenges navigating the roads in NY while driving on the opposite side of the road which we are now used to :)

After arriving safely in Raleigh, NC Monday evening, we made our way to the nearest Walmart! After several hours, we managed to get the food and clothing items we needed for our 14 day Self-Quarantine. It has been odd to not have meetings at the chapel, and not be able to see everyone we have missed so much over the past 2 years. We understand the seriousness of the situation, and are trying to self-quarantine in case we caught the virus while in transit in Dar Es Salaam, Dubai, or New York. So far we are all healthy and our kids are bouncing off the walls in this townhouse! We are pressing on with home-school each morning, and taking walks on the green-way in the afternoons. We are so thankful to be back, for this time to reflect, spend time with family, and much needed time with the Lord and His Word. Again, we thank each of you who prayed for us through out this journey.

We are continuing to pray for our friends back in Tanzania and are keeping in touch with those who are able. So far the spread of this virus has been slow and very minimal in Tanzania for which we are thankful! I just learned that most businesses in Kigoma have added hand washing stations at the entrances, including the Maktaba in Ujiji. The schools remain closed, but churches are able to continue to have regular meetings. There are approximately a dozen recorded cases of corona virus now in Tanzania. Stay safe!

Hopefully soon we will see these restrictions lifted, the virus diminishing, and life returning to normal. We are looking forward to seeing and catching up with our family, friends, church family, and beyond! May the Lord bless each of you and keep you safe and healthy during this time. Thank you again for your prayers and for "holding the rope"!