Ethiopia is FAR!

I've been looking at flights and itineraries (hoping to have news of travel dates SOON!). And it occured to me that Ethiopia is really far away. Unlike flying to Asia, you can't take a single flight from the US and land close to your destination. (When we went to Vietnam, for example, we flew from LA to Hong Kong and then had a pretty short flight to Hanoi.) Even the "non-stop" flight from D.C. to Addis stops briefly in Rome. So, we can expect one domestic flight, probably putting us in Memphis or Atlanta. From there, we'll likely travel to Europe. Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and Paris are the typical layover points. (We're hoping to spend two nights in one of these cities!) Then, you've got another flight to Addis, and (here's the kicker) that flight is about as long as the flight from the U.S. to Europe! We will be weary (but excited) travelers by the time we arrive is Addis, no doubt. That's another argument in favor of spending two nights in Europe--to catch our breath and get adjusted to the time difference before hitting the ground running in Ethiopia. Well, all this is just "play" right now. We're praying so fervently that we'll know our court date soon!