Ready for Take-Off

I will be heading to the airport in just a few hours to board an airplane that will take our team to Miami. From Miami we will fly to Pairs and then on to Nairobi, Kenya. We won't actually set foot in Africa until about 8:30 pm on Wednesday. (It will be around lunchtime here in the states.) So, it looks as if we have long flight ahead of us with lots of time to reflect on what lies ahead. I'm truly excited and humbled to be serving with such an amazing team of individuals. With so many unknowns that still lie ahead, I'm learning to accept those and put my faith and trust in Him.

One of the "unknowns" is internet. Will we have access or won't we? Either way I'm fine with it. My plans are to keep you updated, but if access is not available I will have my journal and will share when I return in a few weeks. So, that will give you something to look forward to if that is the case.

One thing I will share in regards to our trip is our itinerary. It looks something like this:

Tuesday April 2 - Travel
Wednesday April 3 - Travel/Arrive
Thursday April 4 - Elephant Orphanage/Water Filter Distribution to a United Methodist Church (UMC)
Friday April 5 - Feeding program in Nairobi Slum/Travel from Nairobi to Nakuru
Saturday April 6 - Spending the day with Holy Trinity School Children
Sunday April 7 - Worship/Water Filter Distribution at church
Monday April 8 - Brick Making and Building (all day)
Tuesday April 9 - Brick Making and Building (all day)
Wednesday April 10 - Water Filter Distribution in Nakuru/ Lake Nakuru Game Safari
Thursday April 11 - Water Filter Distribution in Majani Mingi/ Visit to Gituamba IDP Camp
Friday April 12 - Travel to Nairobi from Nakuru/ Giraffe Rescue Center/Travel
Saturday April 13 - Travel

One of the best pieces of advice I have ever been given is..."Don't anticipate!" This is something I learned a number of years ago on a spiritual retreat (The Atlanta South Walk to Emmaus) that my husband and I attended. It really changed my life and probably has something to do with where I'm at in my life today. For basically three days I had no contact with the outside world and it was the most freeing experience I have ever had. God blessed me beyond measure that weekend. So with that in mind I face forward to what lies ahead. God always has a way of meeting us at exactly where we are and showing us what it is we need.

All I can say is stay tuned.....jhd

Its all in the details...

The packing has started, the supplies are being collected and I'm having to make decisions as to what is really necessary and what I can live without. I guess you could say in a sense I feel as if I'm going on an episode of Survivor. It's funny because in all the travels I've taken I have never packed quite like this and I've never been gone for almost two weeks. I'm the girl who takes at least five different pairs of shoes and two outfits per day. I can promise you I have no problem filling my 50 lb. bag of checked luggage. But as I pack for my very first mission trip, I'm discovering a lot about myself and what is really important to me. What are my necessities? What I can live without for two weeks and what I can't? Have you ever really sat and thought about that? What you could and couldn't live with for two weeks? I encourage you to sit down and really think about it. Name five things - yes, just five things that you couldn't live without. It's funny because the things I'm finding I can't live without are my Bible, pictures of my family, my journal, my Kindle and yes, my toothbrush.

When I was told how much luggage we were allowed to take (two 50 lbs. bags) I had grand plans for an entire piece of luggage to be filled with supplies for Kenya and the other bag would carry some of my clothes and more supplies for us (toilet paper, peanut butter, crackers, Crystal Light, detergent, etc. - you get the idea) and my carry-on would have a couple change of clothes, shoes, etc. Well, the closer my departure comes and the more I have packed and repacked I'm realizing I need both pieces of luggage for supplies and not my clothes and shoes. I haven't even left and God continues to teach me more and more about myself.

What I'm learning is we don't need to fill a 50 lb. bag just for ourselves. We can get by on the minimum and that is exactly what I intend to do. I'm realizing we are so used to having so much we don't know how to edit down and just go with the necessities of life. We are afraid that if we don't have it we are in trouble when half the time we don't even realize we don't need it in the first place. The Bible tells us again and again that God will provide. In 2 Corinthians 9:8 it says "And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others." (NLT) So in reality all we really need is one small carry-on, God will provide the rest.