Our Adventure Begins!

After several months of planning, training and preparing for our GSE, the day had finally arrived. Our bags were packed (so we thought), our passports and other documentation were in order and we were checking in at the Delta Station. Oops! too much weight in Loretta’s bags. So here is Loretta with items spread all over the floor in the front of the Station with her daughter and team members helping her decide how to redistribute items. For some reason, we can’t seem to get the zipper to close. But, David Wright, my Alternate, came to our rescue and with his strong hand, he succeeded in closing the bag.

Once we got Loretta through, we made our way to the Carolina Room where Heather Hornsby and Bob Montgomery had prepared a Bon Voyage party for us. What a great and marvelous send off!!! More than 25 family members and friends joined us in the Carolina Room to give us a proper send-off in South Carolina fashion. We were excited to have with us District Governor Mary Martin, Assistant Governor Julia Boyd, Assistant Governor Mary Scarborough, past GSE Team Leaders Bob Montgomery, Rick Melton, and Richard Hucks. Numerous family members and other well-wishers were present as well. As you can see, we felt like celebrities with all of the cameras and attention! Before going our separate ways, we all joined hands and offered a final prayer in thanksgiving for this wonderful opportunity.

As we made our way through the security checkpoint, several of Andrea’s items were confiscated! Sorry, Andrea. We hurried to the gate, thinking we were just in time for our departing flight to Atlanta. Oh no! We were delayed once…twice! Oh, but maybe there was a reason for our delay. We had a special opportunity to meet a family who was being reunited with their husband/father on his return from a year of duty in Kuwait. We recruited others seated in the gate area to applaud the brave soldier as he made his way into the airport. It was heartwarming to see him embrace his three young children and then his wife.

Two hours later, we boarded the plane for Atlanta. The flight was uneventful but we knew we had to hurry if we wanted to make our connecting flight to Dakar, Senegal. Boarding the plane was smooth but the weather had other plans. The plane taxied to the runway but was delayed for over two hours due to weather conditions. Finally, when the pilot announced we were next for take-off, we knew our adventure was truly underway.

A little over eight hours later, we landed in Dakar, Senegal where the plane was boarded and thoroughly searched by airport security officers. Oh dear, Loretta had luggage problems again! She couldn’t remember where she had stowed her bag. Luckily, she was able to find it before the security officers got to her. Finally, the plane took off and we were on our way to Johannesburg. That’s where the adventure really got interesting!

We landed in Johannesburg around 6:20 p.m. and hurried to the baggage claim area so we could go through customs. Imagine our surprise when, thirty minutes later, we were the only five people still standing at the baggage carousel. None of our luggage had appeared. As Dr. Smith, Annie and Andrea began to fill out the “missing baggage forms,” Loretta and Will set off to find hotel accommodations for the night, as we had missed our connecting flight to Port Elizabeth. Loretta and Will had to fend off some suspicious characters as they obtained questionable information about hotels. Loretta and Will decided to return to the rest of the team who was still in the baggage claim area. We finished filling out the necessary paperwork, we decided to go back to the Delta counter to ask about hotel vouchers. The Delta staff was helpful and reserved us five rooms at the Southern Sun Hotel. We were a little frustrated when different airport personnel gave us conflicting answers about what to do about our missed flight. We ran from counter to counter, were given conflicting information, and finally decided to call it a night.

We caught the shuttle to the Southern Sun and were happily surprised to see that it was a very nice hotel! We met briefly in Dr. Smith’s room and then adjourned to the hotel’s lovely dining room where we enjoyed South African cuisine. After a long day, we all retired to our rooms for a well-deserved night of rest and a hot shower.

The next morning (Saturday, September 1), we enjoyed a nice breakfast of granola, fruit, omelets, paw paw, and other delicious items. After checking out, we returned to the airport where we questioned numerous airport personnel (again) about how to get tickets to Port Elizabeth. Finally, we purchased new tickets through Nationwide and got on a 1:00 p.m. flight to Port Elizabeth. Still no luggage.

The flight to Port Elizabeth was pleasant and heaved a sigh of relief to see the happy faces of District Governor Lionel Heath and his wife Maureen, Andy, Gay, Garreth, and Bob. Andy and Bob were very helpful and quickly inquired about our missing luggage. Much to our chagrin, the luggage had not made it to P.E.

It was an honor to have Andy and District Governor Lionel drive us to a shopping mall so we could purchase some clothes and other necessary items. After the shopping excursion, we drove to the nearby town of St. Francis Bay. District Governor Lionel had arranged for us to stay at a lovely vacation home belonging to a member of the Rotary Club of Port Elizabeth East. Annie and Dr. Smith cooked a quick but delicious meal of grilled cheese and soup.

Dr. Smith and Will Moody