On my way to Africa!

On the plane to JFK

My love fest continues with American Airlines!  With a little persuading, some good information from my AA friend Lin and two pages printed from 2 websites I was able to check the 4 bags loaded with stuff for Africa!

Thanks AA!

The Journey Begins.....

Leaving just before noon from Orange California with all of their luggage!  Rachel, Linda, Maryann and Pat!  I will join them in Uganda Thursday night!

With the truck packed they are off to group leader Dave's house to join the other 8 before they head out to LAX and their 3:35pm flight to Dubai!

Me??  I'm still packing....I have almost that much myself!!  Ha, ha!

So it's 1am and I'm now done and ready to go!  But I'll get a few hours sleep first while the rest of the gang flies over Russia!

T-38 Hours.....and counting!

Won't be long now......

The last few days have been busy, busy, busy!  I have shopped and shopped, I have tried on skirts (I look awful in skirts btw!!) I have made piles, I have made lists, I have organized, I have made a million trips up and down the stairs, I have packed and re-packed, I have weighed the suitcases, added more then re-weighed the luggage.....AND I'm still not done yet!

But at 8:05 Wednesday morning I WILL be ready.....ready or not!  I've tried my darn-est to find out how many bags I can check on American!  I've gotten great advice from a friend Lin who works at the EXP desk, so I'm going to take my chances and pack all 4..... and hope for the best!

What in the world am I taking you ask??  Well, for once not much for me......except those silly skirts and tops to match, shoes, pjs, toiletries, and snacks galore....I'm a picky eater remember!

I have special friends who have contributed to my project with dollars for chickens and shoes and bibles.  My wonderful group of airline friends have sent me boxes and boxes of toiletries & amenity kits to pass out.  The church we attend in Henderson NV gave me some of their "I Love My Church" t-shirts to share with the church near Kampala.  I have scoured the Dollar Bins at Target, as well as the sale racks at both Target, Carters and Gymboree! I have picked up children's toys and books in addition to clothing of all sizes!

Here are just a few photos of what I've organized and packed so far(then after I took these I emptied these suitcases and packed it all in larger ones!)

Fingers crossed I can check all of  these special things on the plane with me..... I am so happy and proud to take them with me to Kampala on Wednesday!  I hope everyone likes what I'm bringing!

One week from today.....

.....the team will be all together again at EBB (the airport code for Entebbe Uganda)!

At approximately (by my calculations!) 11:40 am PST next Thursday morning November 13th,  I will be touching down in Uganda!  The rest of my team will have arrived a bit earlier as they are flying Emirates Airlines from LAX to Dubai(spending the night near the airport) then flying onto EBB the next morning.  Therefore they are leaving on Tuesday November 11th!  (I get an extra night at home by flying AA through London)

Entebbe is a town in Central Uganda and the home of the country's major airport. Located on a Lake Victoria peninsula, the town was once the seat of government for the Protectorate of Uganda, prior to Independence in 1962. It is also famous, some of you might recall, for the rescue in 1976 when Israeli commandos rescued 100 hostages, mostly Israelis or Jews, held by pro-Palestinian hijackers there at the Entebbe airport.

Kampala is now the capital of Uganda and this is where we will be spending our first week.

Some of you know I am an aviation enthusiast and was introduced to this website:  Great Circle Mapper.  On their webpage I was able to track the routes we will be taking to get to Uganda. The top picture is the route Emirates will most likely take from LAX to Dubai, before heading onto Entebbe.  I am on American Airlines from Las Vegas to London by way of JFK.  Once at LHR I will change planes, terminals and airlines boarding a British Airways flight from LHR non-stop to EBB.

It is now less than 7 days until we depart.......or in hourly terms: less than 168 hours!  Yikes....I'd better get packing!

Final meeting before we leave for Uganda!

I have been blessed to get to know the wonderful people I will be sharing my Africa experience with ..... most recently over dinner in Orange CA.  I was able to attend our last meeting (and my second) this past Sunday night.  This is the most awesome group of believers you would ever want to meet!

There are actually 13 of us going on this adventure.... 9 of these special folks are pictured above!  They include my cousin Pat, my "cousin" Linda(Chuck's wife) and 6 people I have enjoyed getting to know.  They have been to Uganda many times ..... some have made up to 16 trips .... and they have shared their experiences with us!  This being our first trip....we have lots of questions, worries, and concerns but Dave, Frankie, Tracy, Jeff, Lauren, Tammi and Debbie have shown us that we are not so much going to Africa to "give" of ourselves to the Ugandan people, but that we will come away with so much more than we had ever even hoped for!

I look forward meeting up with all of my team two weeks from today in Kampala Uganda!

Have you ever been to Africa?

No, me either.....but that will all change when I begin my journey on November 12, 2014!

Join me on this adventure.....I hope to be able to update this journal with facts, thoughts and photos!  While we are gone, please keep our group in your thoughts and prayers as we spend 2 weeks in Uganda Africa!

Where is Uganda you ask.......

Right there....in eastern Africa where the equator runs right through the southern portion of the country.  I will land at the airport in Entebbe, Uganda on Thursday November 13th after a long, long flight through JFK and LHR!

Upon arrival at the airport in Entebbe we will be driven to Kampala (the capital of Uganda) where we will spend the first week with Hopeline Africa Mission, a school and orphanage near the capital city.

This is very exciting and scary at the same time! I have travelled quite a bit across the US and around the world....but except for when we could see Africa from the Rock of Gibraltar....this will be my first true Africa experience!

Following is the post from my FaceBook page:

Did you know I’m going to Africa?
I am blessed to go on this journey and be able to join with my cousins to honor our cousin, husband, son, brother, father Chuck….by travelling to Kampala Uganda to visit Hopeline Africa Mission Orphanage and school. My cousin Chuck Obremski was the minister at Kindred Community Church in Anaheim Hills CA as well as the chaplain for the Anaheim Angels (i.e. Los Angeles Angels) and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks hockey team. Linda(my cousin Chuck’s wife) is hoping to honor her husband’s memory by seeing for herself just how far Chuck’s message has spread the word of God. Chuck was a minister in Southern CA, who passed away in 2005 from cancer.
First and foremost I’d like to ask all of you to keep us in your prayers for our trip. Please pray for our ability to not only make a difference, but also our health and our safety. I would love to have you all partner along with us on our journey. We will be in Uganda for 2 weeks, first to Kampala to work with Hopeline Ministry and the Orphanage and later we will travel northwest to the village of Gulu to Christ the Center Ministries Nursery and Primary School started there by members of Rock Harbor Church of Costa Mesa & Orange, CA.  This will be the week of their graduation and it will be wonderful to share in that experience with them.
I am working on a journal that I can update and post pictures to while on this journey. Let me know if you’d like to be added and I’ll send you a link when the page is complete.(and here it is!!  :) )
Next, Linda’s first dream is to purchase for the orphanage among other things....chickens and maybe a goat or two! Her goal is purchase 500 chickens for Hopeline to have for food and also to be able to sell the eggs to provide for their other necessities. Want to help and buy a chicken? $1 buys the chicken and $20 would provide the food and medicine needed for the chicken’s upkeep!
Also on her list is a bible for each and every student. While in Uganda we are planning to purchase for each child a new bible for $10!
Lastly we hope to also purchase for each one a new pair of shoes….. we are hoping to be able to get them in Kampala for around $20 a pair…for sturdy, new, closed toe shoes also for each and every child!
If you’d like to partner with us, first and foremost, please keep us in prayer. With the news we all hear every day –going to Africa right now sounds a little scary! But we are trusting that the timing in right….and look forward to our adventure.
For more information please surf on over to: http://www.chuckobremski.com/ and learn more about my cousin and his ministry as well as read the note written by Linda for our trip!
I’ll be home Thanksgiving eve! Looking forward to a most awesome trip….and best homecoming and Thanksgiving ever!
Blessings, franci
For donations or information…..feel free to email me at johnmdavid@aol.com or send a check made out to Chuck Obremski Ministries and mail to: franci davidson 11867 Oakland Hills Drive Las Vegas NV 89141! There is also a link on the ministry page. With all donations, a tax donation form will be mailed for your 2014 tax preparation