Africa music

I called one of my friends a few days after I'd been asked to join the trip to Uganda. I told her about my opportunity and that I had no idea if I should go or not. She had no advice, no words of caution, she simply said, "I already know the first two songs I'm putting on your playlist."

Monday, 5/23/11, 5:51am local time, 35,000 feet above Africa

Music seems to have played a huge role in this trip already. I downloaded 40+ songs in preparation for the trip, Scott added more, and friends gave me Africa playlists. I received one playlist a week prior to departure, so I'd listened to it many times before leaving. In the middle of the 9 hour Dallas to London flight, I listened to the mix again and heard a line I hadn't noticed before. Straight No Chaser, covering Toto's Africa, sang, "she's coming in 12:30 flight." A quick glance at my boarding pass confirmed that we were indeed scheduled to arrive at 12:30. Then, listening to another friend's mix, I heard these amazing lyrics,
"When I arrived in my old set of clothes,
I was half a world away from home...
Darlin' do not fear what you don't really know
'cause it won't last...worries will pass,
Your troubles won't stand a chance."
I believe these are timely reminders of God's hand in every aspect of this trip, even the little things.
Another reminder happened right at the beginning of the trip early yesterday (or was it the day before? Hard to keep track of the day/time when jumping multiple time zones). Our group of 22 arrived at DIA much earlier than necessary. We learned our original flight was delayed, which would have caused a missed connection in Dallas, but instead all 22 of us were bumped together to an earlier flight to Dallas, making that a comfortable connection.
This current flight has had my nerves on edge with turbulence all night. The music of Rich Mullins and Chris Tomlin has helped, particularly the songs about following God no matter the cost. (I have been skipping any song with reference to being ready to die though...wheels not on the ground yet!)
One final thing I've noticed. My iPod doesn't usually keep a charge long, 24 hours at the most, even when off. After almost 48 hours and probably 10 hours of listening time, my battery still has half a charge.
Thank you, God, for reminders of your presence even in the little details.
After only an hour of sleep here and there, I am praying for wakefulness for today as we drive across Uganda followed by a restful night.