This morning was a bit slower. After breakfast Mr. Horchak wanted to record an interview for In Accord, so we did that out by the pool. Then we both worked in our rooms until about time to leave. I had been able to arrange a late checkout, so that helped.

Osas came a little early and we had a few minutes to talk before time to go. There was a small hiccup at checkout from the hotel, because their card reader, through which you can pay with a credit card, would not connect to the network, so we couldn’t pay. But after a few more minutes the charges finally went through and we were on our way.

Osas took us to the airport, but in order to avoid him having to pay a parking fee, he just dropped us at the door and with a final hug and handshake, he was on his way. And we went in to see if we could check in, but couldn’t. And that’s whey we discovered the flight has been delayed by 90 minutes because of weather elsewhere in Nigeria delaying flights.

After a short wait the man came to get us and told us we could now check in. That’s a process if barely controlled chaos that takes a good 30 minutes, and goes like this: We have to finally make our way up to the counter to have our passports checked. Then they weigh our checked luggage, and even though we are both underweight we get charged anyway. We are given a tag which we must take to the back of the room and pay (in our case today it was 2,000 naira, or about $1.26).

Then we come back with the receipt showing we’ve paid, and they put the luggage tag on each of our bags. Then, and this was new, since the conveyer belt was working (the first time I’ve seen it move in 8 years) we were stopped by a man with a radio. He called our tag numbers back to someone behind the wall who was scanning our bags. When he received confirmation that they saw no problem with our bags, we were told we could proceed to the security check.

I’ve had trouble at the security check before, but this time there were no problems. We breezed through and should have had about 90 minutes to wait. With all the delayed flights, the main waiting area was jammed full, so we opted for the VIP lounge, which cost the equivalent of $6.30 for both of us together. Well worth it with comfortable chairs, power to plug in, a/c and a free coffee, tea or water.

As the time drew closer for us to board, it became apparent we weren’t going to leave on time. This airport has large plate glass windows that look out on the only runway and the only piece of tarmac where planes stop … and it was empty. I’ve been down this road multiple times before, and I already know it does no good to ask an official, because he’ll only tell me the flight will leave on time no matter the obvious evidence (or lack thereof) to the contrary!

We have learned some strong thunderstorms went through Lagos a couple of hours ago, and this caused the delay of quite a few flights, including ours. It appears out plane comes out from Lagos and then just turns around and goes back. It is fortunate that we both have 5+ hours in Lagos before our international flights take off. Mr. Horchak is flying British Airways, and I booked my tickets through Delta, but my flight out of Nigeria is on Air France, who codeshares with Delta.

As it turned out, our plane finally arrived, and we left almost three hours after we were scheduled to leave. We figured we’d still be OK, but it was going to be closer than we’d planned.

Hakeem was going to meet us at the airport to shuttle us over to the International one. Also, I’d left a bag with him to avoid having to take it all the way out to Benin and back, and I needed to collect it for the trip home. I kept him informed as one delay turned into another, and then another. But he said he’d still be able to meet us, and he did.

I was given a framed picture in Benin that I had intended to just carry on the plane and put it in my hard side bag when I got it from Hakeem. But the man at the ticket counter would not allow it and demanded that I just check the picture as is. There is no way a framed picture just wrapped in paper would have survived the baggage handlers, and I didn’t want to do it that way. Mr. Horchak had room in his hard side suitcase, so we put it in there intending to get it when we got to Lagos and switch it to my hard side suitcase.  However, by the time we finally got in, got our luggage and Hakeem helped us transfer over to the international terminal, time was getting short for Mr. Horchak, and we decided not to make the switch. Instead, he’ll carry it all the way to Dallas and I’ll get it this weekend when I come down for the International Ministerial Conference.

The check-in counter area for Air France was a total zoo. People were jamming up everywhere, some with five and six suitcases My higher status with Delta transfers over, so I was able to go to the Sky Priority line, although there were still people slipping under the rope and jumping ahead. Airline workers were making a half-hearted effort to keep people in line and going through in an orderly fashion, but they weren’t having much success. Barely controlled chaos once again…

Once checked in security went smoothly, except they wanted me to pull out my CPAP machine, and they were ready to not let me fly with it until I explained what it was. Then I was waived through.

At check-in they gave me a pass to the Air France lounge, and with a couple of hours to kill, I was able to get something to eat and relax in good air conditioning until time to head out to my gate.

I managed to get three or four hours sleep in the flight up to Paris, and made the switch to my Delta flight to Atlanta, arriving at my gate about 20 minutes before we should have begin boarding – but we didn’t.

Maybe 10 minutes after boarding should have started they announced that we couldn’t board the aircraft yet because we had no flight crew (pilots and flight attendants). After another 15 minutes we were told the flight crew was here, but held up in security. They finally arrived and we began boarding at the time we were supposed to be taking off.

Once onboard everyone quickly settled into their seats so we could push back, only we didn’t. The pilot came on the intercom telling us there was a problem with the paperwork for the fuel, and we had to resolve that before we could leave. We sat on the plane for a full hour more before whatever the problem had been was resolved, and we finally were pushed back and got in line to take off.

What was supposed to be a 2 hour and 50 minute layover in Atlanta was now an almost impossible connection to make, and I knew my last flight to the Bentonville airport was probably going to have to change.

By the time we touched down and had taxied up to the gate, I had exactly one hour before the gate closed on my Arkansas-bound flight. I have Global Entry, so was able to breeze around the incoming lines and was through Customs and Immigration in only a couple of minutes. But I have to wait at the baggage return to collect my luggage, walk into another room and recheck them, and then go back through security before going out to my gate. Time was ticking…

My luggage was slow to come off, and it wasn’t helped that an airport worker told quite a few of us to go to the wrong carrousel! So by the time I got my bags the gates would have been closing on my flight. So instead I went to the connections desk, told him about the delayed flight and my missed connection (and I wasn’t the only one), and he booked me on the next flight, which was only two hours away. That was a blessing!

It took about 15 more minutes to go back through security and then walk out to my gate. The small Embraer jet took off on time, and even though we had to take a longer route than normal to avoid some heavy thunderstorms in the area, we landed without a problem exactly on time.

I got loaded in my car, paid the parking fee, and then slightly under an hour later I pulled into my drive, ending my final trip to Africa, at least as the Senior Pastor. It has been an exciting and powerfully impactful nearly 20 years, and I’m very grateful for the opportunity! But I’m equally pleased that Mr. Paul Carter is willing and ready to take the reigns of the churches in Ghana and Nigeria. I know they will benefit from his leadership – and no doubt he will benefit and grow from the experiences he will have also!