Team 9 has arrived!  It's hard to believe we have been in Africa for 24 hours now!  Our flights from Des Moines were almost uneventful -- but we did manage to make up for lost time and actually arrived in Jo-Burg an hour early.  On the last leg of the flight, many people deplaned at Dakar so most of us were able to stretch out over 2 or 3 seats to sleep, but we were starting to lose steam.   Brian and Lois and little Liam (9 months) met us at the airport and we arrived in Welkom around 9:00 p.m.   There, we met Louis and Amber and their kids, Meredith (3 or 4, I think) and Drake (5 months.)  Several of the children snuck down the stairs to greet us, too.  What an amazing day!  To think we are half a world away from Iowa!  I think Mark figured we had traveled for 30 hours and we are 8 hours ahead.

Today, the birds woke us up early, but we were ready to go!  Our first "job" was to empty the contents of a safe.  Small job, huh?  It was stacked from the floor to the 11 ft ceiling with all kinds of books and ledgers, some three deep in the shelf.  We carried the books down from the second floor,  stack by stack and we filled the trailer (and emptied it) three times.  The kids came home from school so we somehow charmed them into helping us.  Their energy was very appreciated!  We formed an assembly line (or at least we tried to) to pass the books along the line -- as we restacked them in a shed.  Not to rub it in, but Brian said the temperature was up over 100 today!  It just doesn't feel like Iowa weather, that's for sure!

Before dinner, some of the kids sang some songs for us and danced.  They all seem so happy and full of energy.   We are looking forward to tomorrow -- after a good night of sleep!  We have one more load to finish out the vault and then we will tackle the next project . . .

'Till then . . .

- Sara