10:33 am
Pack the luggage without forgetting anything and jump into the electric car that takes us to the airport.
11:15 a.m.
Emergency Covid test at the airport! And yes, you still need a little test to be able to enter North America…
11:45 a.m.
Checking in a lot of luggage and asking if there is room on the plane since we are on stand-by (it's cheaper).
1:00 p.m.
Almost all passengers have already boarded. We discuss with the flight attendants to see if he has a small place for us on this plane. Stressful…
1:15 p.m.
Ok, says the hostess, here are your seats … in business! In business??? While we had paid this flight a third of the normal price in economy class.
2:45 p.m. (8:45 p.m. in Switzerland)
Perfect flight, perfect meal, perfect landing.
On the other hand, passing immigration into Canada is worse than the way of the cross.
The luggage is not at the appointment… no one knows where it is…
After a (too long) moment, we decide to leave the suitcases in the maze of the airport and pick them up the next day... Tip: always have the bare essentials with you when you travel, just in case.
4:30 p.m. (10:30 p.m. in Switzerland) ARIVAL QUEBEC, CANADA
Phew, we leave the airport, surprise: 31° Celsius! We sweat like popsicles in the sun.
Laurent, who waited for us for more than an hour in the car, warmly welcomes us and drives us to the first meeting with the JC2033 Quebec Committee.
5:00 p.m. (11:00 p.m. in Switzerland)
It is the first time that we meet most of the members of the committee (1st meeting). We introduce ourselves to each other. Olivier shares his heart on the season we are in with 2033 on the planet, as well as his hopes for Canada. Group photo with lots of laughs…
6:30 p.m. (12:30 a.m. in Switzerland)
After being distributed in the cars and on the bicycles, we arrive on the terrace of the service apartment of the Free Methodist Church of Montreal Saint Henri of Pastor Philippe Reichenbach. With Nicole, his wife, they serve us a wonderful meal (2nd appointment). We were starving.
8 p.m. (2 a.m. in Switzerland)
After having welcomed the thirty people present in the worship hall, we begin an evening to present JC2033 (3rd meeting) with a moment of praise led by a team from Jeunesse en Mission Québec.
10 p.m. (4 a.m. in Switzerland)
The meeting ends with great joy and expectations for the future. We are together for a cause: the 2000 years of the resurrection of Jesus, despite the fact that we are from very different Churches, missions and backgrounds. Leaving for bed… finally… it's past 4am for our poor little Swiss bodies…
10:30 p.m. (4:30 a.m. in Switzerland)
Welcome ! Announces the Sister of the Chemin Neuf Catholic home where we are going to spend the night.
I have just informed the priest who wants to come and greet you.
Oh no…just give me a bed, I thought smiling…
Hello Lawrence! Hello Oliver! Hello everyone ! The priest tells us, all joyful.
I hold out my hand, which he takes tightly. He looks me in the eye and says:
What a pleasure to see you again, Olivier. Do you remember me ?
Hmmm…. I need a clue... My head is cloudy...
Alpha in London? Father Jean-Huber?
Oh, yes, that's right, Jean-Huber… it's been a long time… almost 20 years?
All right, follow me, I'll show you your rooms. You are definitely tired...
08:00 (14:00 in Switzerland)
Breakfast with priest Jean-Hubert (4th meeting).
Swapping news, swapping books, sharing friendships…simply delightful..
Surprise: Edana and Anouchka Hollinger join us for the end of this morning meal.
9:15 a.m. (3:15 p.m. in Switzerland)
Pack up and leave for worship.
10 a.m. (4 p.m. in Switzerland)
Sermon (5th appointment) on dreams in general and that of the 2000 years of the resurrection in particular.
Prayer time for those in need.
12:30 p.m. (6:30 p.m. in Switzerland)
6th meeting, just for me, in the car with Edana and Anouchka on the way to the airport.
20 minutes to look back on the past, understand each other well, forgive our mistakes and start again on a good basis: the love of God!
1:00 p.m. (7:00 p.m. in Switzerland)
Checking for our next stand-by flight to Denver, Colorado, then to Phoenix, Arizona.
Our suitcases have been found and from now on they will follow us on all our flights.
Daniel, Aurore and I are in positions 9-10-11 in the waiting list. It may not be expensive, but it is stressful…
2:10 p.m. (8:10 p.m. in Switzerland)
5 minutes before the doors closed, everyone boarded, except us…
We are finally called by the land hostess:
“Mr. Gonvers, Ms. Girardet and Mr. Fleury, please come immediately to the counter”
New boarding pass… we are invited to run to take the flight. Phew!
4:40 p.m. (12:40 a.m. midnight in Switzerland)
Landing in Colorado with two more hours of time difference.
Take back the luggage since it is our point of entry into the USA.
Hooray, our luggage followed well.
5:40 p.m. (1:40 a.m. in Switzerland)
Checking (again???) for our next stand-by flight to Phoenix, Arizona.
We are this time in positions 10-11-12 in the list. It is always stressful, especially since Olivier must not miss this flight and be “fresh” tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m. (6:30 p.m. in Switzerland) to share the vision with a group of leaders at “Grand Canyon” University.
7:20 p.m. (3:20 a.m. in Switzerland)
Olivier abandons Aurore and Daniel to their fate in Denver: United has allocated him the very last seat on the plane, which is also 40 minutes late.
8:30 p.m. (5:30 a.m. in Switzerland) ARIVAL PHOENIX, ARIZONA, USA
Landing, recovery of the luggage of the whole team (3 pieces, total: 83kg) and meeting my friend Mike Mobley.
9 p.m. (6 a.m. in Switzerland)
“We will arrive at 10:30 p.m. at the hotel” a WhatsApp informs me, coming from the sky. Daniel was able to connect in flight and has also already arranged an Uber for their transportation.
9:30 p.m. (6:30 a.m. in Switzerland) PHOENIX
Mike organized three days of extreme high-intensity . We are going to share the vision four to five times a day in meetings as impressive as each other, such as a “Prayer breakfast” with 1000 people, a radio broadcast widely broadcast in the United States or Men’s Business Meetings …
He explains all this in the car as well as in the lobby of the university hotel for over an hour. I remember almost nothing since it is almost 6:30 in the morning for me.
10:30 p.m. (7:30 a.m. in Switzerland)
Aurore and Daniel finally arrive. Brief reunion of the JC2033 team at the hotel reception.
We are worm-eaten with fatigue and emotions.
45 hours after leaving our home, it is finally time to go to bed for the second time on this journey which, after all, is only just beginning...
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