Well it’s been awhile since the last time I posted a blog, so here it goes.
I was able to head home on the evening of Jan 27th, but it was a long excursion from Rackoko (where I had been with World Race) to Kampala (the capitol of Uganda) where the airport is. It consisted of riding in the back of a pick-up truck down an hour-long dirt road and even bribing people out of their bus tickets, but I finally made my first leg of the journey home. After flights through Heathrow and all the fun that goes along with connections, airports, and people, I arrived home on the 28th, in the evening, at about 7pm and was picked up by my buddy.
The best part was that my family did not know I was returning home and I was able to surprise each one of them individually. It was great to be at home and spend time with my family especially my Dad. I made it home for his first chemo treatment and with not having a job or anything, was able to spend time with him throughout my two-week stay at home.
While at home I was able to sneak in a few night roping’s and a million breakfast, lunch and supper dates with friends and family. It was great to see everyone and see home with a new perspective after being gone for sevens months. I also had the opportunity to speak at a ladies bible study, (which was a great experience seeing as it was the first time in months being able to talk to a group of people without the use of a translator). I also had the chance to speak at a church and give them a little bit more info about my trip and what I was doing. It’s crazy how God opens doors!
I flew out in the afternoon on the 16th of February, and looking back now, I know that was the hardest flight I’ve ever boarded. I didn’t want to leave my family in the state they were in, to come back to the race. But with their blessing and encouragement, I reluctantly stepped back out onto the mission field and boarded my first flight back to Africa.
The first flight took me from Calgary, Alberta to Toronto, Ontario. I was a head-case at this time and couldn’t get my family off my mind. On that flight, however, I was seated beside an older gentleman named Terry. He was a Christian man who enjoyed hunting and had been all over Canada in pursuit of his passion. We told stories back and forth about trips and experiences and before I knew it, the flight had ended. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to be beside.
The next flight was to Heathrow, London followed by a third flight to Kampala, Uganda. No one sat next to me on either flight, so I had three seats all to myself and was able to get some sleep. After a long journey, I finally arrived in Kampala, although the same cannot be said for my checked luggage. Good thing it was just snacks and treats for the team (after locating and re-routing my baggage to Thailand I was able to pass out “the goods” to my team members just last week.).
Frank met me at the airport and we rode a cab to a backpacker’s hostel where I met up with my team and some others from the squad. The next day we packed up and headed back to the airport for a flight to Bangkok Thailand. It was another 10 hours of flying… I am done with flying, lol.
We got to ride in the back of a truck to the YWAM(youth with a mission) base where we stayed for an evening and had cultural briefing about Thailand and our ministry. The next day an awesome air-conditioned van (you don’t see anything like this on the race) picked us up and we headed to Kanchanaburi, which is about six hours north from Bangkok.
Our ministry this last month in Thailand was on a goat farm and our goal was to work with the surrounding community by helping out on their farms, as well as the farm we were staying at. We helped pour concrete, harvest tapioca, irrigate and move dirt for seedlings, weed, feed animals, and dismantle concrete pillars. The interesting thing about this last month is that I didn’t spend it with my normal team.
Instead last month was a “Manistry” month, and involved all the men getting put on a team, apart from the ladies. We lived in an unfinished building in our tents and we got to hang out with Big. He showed us the ropes and was our translator for the month, but I would consider him more than that; to me Big was a friend. He was easy to get along with and fun to hang around. He had the same joke-around personality that I have and I often found myself laughing along with the rest of the guys at something he was up to.
On our days off and we were able to do lots. We went and climbed a seven level waterfall, went to a mall that was about two hours away, got massages, rode elephants, visited museums about WWII, and were fed like kings.
Thanks again for your continued support and prayers for my family. I appreciate the generous financial support and encouragement that I’ve received while being on the race. I’m nearly funded and look forward to raising my last $1000. Thank you to everyone who has given!
Cheers,
Cody O’Donnell
