Week 1

We left DTW with snowplows clearing the runway and 45 minutes of de-icing the plane. The 8-hour flight to Frankfurt was followed by a 14-hour layover in the airport there. Lots of reading time in the "Leisure Zone."

After arriving in Johannesburg, South Africa on Tuesday morning, we soon boarded a small propeller plane headed to Francistown, Botswana. There we were greeted on the tarmac by swarms of ants wanting a ride on our sandaled feet. We tried to capture a photo of our feet covered with ants, but couldn't stand still long enough.

We had a great visit in Botswana. Fr. Victor was a gracious host, collecting us at the airport, letting us sleep in his comfortable guest room, preparing meals for us, and loaning us his car to drive around town. He invited friends to his home so that we could re-connect with people and projects from our time in Botswana, especially our good friend and colleague, Boniface Kwelegano. We call Fr. Victor the "Mahatma Ghandi of Botswana." He is a very holy man, very humble, loved by the locals, and working hard in a tough environment at 77 years old. We always get inspired when we are with him.

Friday, we returned to Johannesburg to re-group and do a little last minute shopping in the big city. Our former St. Brendan's student, Mashudu Makhuva, is such a blessing to us. She has picked us up at the airport, stowed and hauled those 2 big red gift suitcases around and has been an all around delight. We celebrated our reunion with a drink at the hotel and a nice dinner. Sunday morning we begin the 5-hour car journey to Bakhita Village.