I’m leaving for Africa in under a week.
As you might be able to perceive, this has caused somewhat of an explosion of different emotions. Anticipation, anxiety, impatience, excitement…it’s all popping up like Mexican jumping beans. I feel simultaneously totally ready and completely unprepared.
I’ve been loading up the Kindle with books, packing away my fuzzy travel blanket, ensuring that I have my passport and immunization records, selecting the clothes I’ll be wearing for those three weeks, etc. I’m also trying to forget the sheer number of hours I’ll be stuck in a 2×4 inch airplane seat with limited physical or mental stimulation. Sadly, “Beam me down to Africa, Scotty!” is still many years in the future.
I have been told that there will be Wi-fi at the guesthouse where I will be staying, which means I will have the ability to continue posting. My prayer is that I will be able to put into words what I experience to keep those of you who are interested updated and as a reminder for myself when my memory begins to fade.
For those of you who have no clue what’s happening, I’ll give you the quick version: I leave for Malawi on August 4th as part of a mission trip with four others to teach VBS (Vacation Bible School) to three different groups of children in three different villages over the course of three weeks. The mission is handled by WELS Kingdom Workers.
Although I can’t foresee what Africa will do to me, my writing form and style will most likely change with the different conditions, so just a heads-up that my next several posts may not possess the cocktail of funny, intriguing, and spiritually inspiring that I usually do my best to serve up.
This is an incredible opportunity and I can’t wait to just get there and begin. Thank you to everyone from family members to anonymous donors for your love and support. God, all I can do is hand it over to you and go along for the ride.
“But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?” – Romans 10:14 NLT
The Books Were Opened 