Our team leaves for Swaziland tomorrow.
Honestly, I've never gone so far from home... I've been to Hawaii (2x) with the Air Force. I've been to the Bahamas with my dear friend, and Tech School Roomie, Stacy. And I've gone to the Caribbean with my family and in-laws... before I discovered that boats and I don't get along (I get Mal de Debarquement Syndrome). I've been to some interesting places and done some interesting things.
But this is AFRICA: Another continent, another world.
I vacillate between extreme anticipation/excitement and sobering anxiety. I'm on an emotional roller coaster right now because I don't really know what to expect. I have spent the past week fasting and praying, and making list after list, but still the questions persist: How will all of this play out? Am I adequately prepared? Have I packed the necessary items? There's no way to know until I arrive and then it will be a moot point, anyway. I guess it even takes faith to pack for a missions trip!
Don't get me wrong, I want to go. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little scared. Jordan talked about how his first missions trip radically changed his life, and I believe it will change me, too. How can it not? How could anyone travel so far, to do the work we are doing, and come back unchanged?
One thing is certain: my world is about to get a whole lot bigger.
It is with all of these thoughts swarming my conscience that I sit here trying to compose a moderately coherent blog post. I don't know if I'm succeeding, but I felt it was important to try. I'm going to attempt to post here while we are in Africa; I don't know how much I'll be able to write as I am unsure of our internet access where we're going. I know our free time will be very limited, as well. If I don't post again over the next week you'll definitely hear from me when I return!
I want to take a moment to say THANK YOU to everyone who gave towards my trip, who prayed for me and our team, who will continue praying for us over the next 8 days... You may not be going to Africa, physically, but you are as much a part of this trip as I am. Don't believe for one minute that your prayers and contributions are of little value; God used you to validate my decision to go. He used you to multiply not only my faith, but the faith of others who beheld the miraculous way this trip came together. He is still using you... your prayers will carry us across oceans and continents and back again. So, thank you. Your kindness, generosity, and prayers mean more to me than I could ever express through words. I pray that God blesses each and every one of you and multiplies your gifts back to you, a thousand-fold!
To my husband and children: I love you so much... Thank you for believing in me and standing with me in this journey. I will miss you, but I know I will return better than I left. ;)
Now, to find that mosquito repellant...
Summer
