Day 1.5

We arrived this morning at 7:00-ish a.m. local time in Glasgow. Our bodies still felt like it was 2:00 a.m. or worse depending on how little we slept. When we arrived, we proceeded like sheep to the UK Border Agents. This is always an interesting process because it's a little like playing roulette. If you get the right agent, there's some brief chit-chat and the SHRUMP ... SHRUMP of approval as the agent stamps your passport for entry. But as we all know, the roulette ball doesn't always land on the number you want. Six of our group spun that roulette wheel this morning.

We didn't need visas to enter the country for this trip, but we did secure letters from the church with which we're working to explain what we were doing, that we had raised our own financial support for the duration of our trip and that we were definitely leaving on a fixed date some 11 days after our arrival to return to the colonies. The letter should've answered the questions for the border agent regarding our intent and the absence of any potential threat posed by our groggy crew. Always vigilant ... or just bored ... the agent took a skeptical view of the church sponsoring us for this journey and asked them to wait in the chairs in front of everyone else waiting in line. (Kind of like being sent out of class to sit in the hallway while the kids in another class march by to go to lunch. Half are giggling at your obvious inability to convince a government employee of your harmlessness and the other half looking on anxiously thinking "what do I have to say not to meet that guy's fate?") After making them wait for about 10 minutes, the agent -- having confirmed that the church indeed was a registered charity -- emerged from the back room and passed the "Glasgow 6" through.

We then proceeded to baggage claim where we were happy to find all of our luggage and the supply bins riding the belts awaiting us. One bag looked like it'd hung onto the landing gear the whole ride and helped brake the plane upon landing. But it was there with everything else.

One of our team did have a bit of a rough night on the flight. Revisiting her in-flight meal at one point. But with some great care from a nurse on our team, she made it through the flight and has been improving throughout the day.

After arriving at camp this morning, we fought the urge to sleep by setting up various aspects of camp in preparation for the students' arrival. We enjoyed a great lunch prepared by some women at the Potter's House Church and then ventured into Paisley to exchange money and visit ASDA to get some camp supplies. We returned home to another meal for dinner prepared by a woman from the church. Two hearty meals and a nice shower made the rest of the day go a lot easier.

Tomorrow is a day of sightseeing in Glasgow before a dinner out at one of our host's favorite restaurants and then a night of worship in preparation for camp with our friends from Potter's House.

It's been a long day, but we should all sleep like babies tonight. (The kind of babies who sleep through the night and have to be woken in the morning. Not the kind that have their sleep cycles destroyed by a seven-hour overnight flight and share their displeasure with a plane full of people.)

Pictures to follow later (uploading issues -- too tired to troubleshoot -- must sleep -- good ni......)