T-minus 15 Hours

Well folks, the bags are packed (almost), passports are laying out, Stinker & Frodo (dog & cat) are just about ready to get dropped off...etc etc.

I can't believe this day is finally here. I feel both excited, grateful, & scared at once. It's still hard to accept that in 30-something hours I will be on a whole 'nother continent for the first time in my life. Just nuts. One of the parts I was not expecting was having to pack "business casual" attire to wear while we work in the village / orphanage. I thought we were going to be dressed jeans and tee-shirts. It just felt awkward putting dress shoes in the suitcase when I know I'm going to a country where people live on less than a dollar a day. I'll have to reflect on how that all fits when I get there I guess.

There are a few specific things I'd really appreciate your prayers for...

-that Amber and I stay connected throughout the trip (we may be split up at night due to lack of space so girls w/ girls, guys w/ guys).

-for us to stay connected w/ God

-for us to take care of ourselves while we're there so we actually have something to give to the people we're striving to serve

This will most likely be my last post for a while as I'm not sure if we will have internet there, but I will be keeping that diary to share so stop back by.

To living fully alive.

~jc

"no regrets"

I was talking with a friend of mine last night who is also a photographer http://www.scottdavidphotography.com/ and I asked him if he had any thoughts about being fully present on this trip while having a camera in my hands. Many times it's easy for me to get behind that lens, and use it as a bit of a shield between me and the world. Simply that I can hide behind or get lost in camera land. Scott had taken a mission trip to Africa a few years ago, and I loved the feedback he gave me.

He said go and live there so you don't have any regrets when you get back. If you feel like God's asking you to do something, do it.

Simple is good for me, and "no regrets" is a little tidbit I can hang onto while I'm there (and while I'm getting ready for the trip I might add). Thanks Scott.

Feedblitz

I added a service via Feedblitz which allows you guys to enter your email and receive updates whenever I post so you don't have to check back, posts will just come to your inbox.

Ok, I'm done for today. If you look at the post times on this page, you'll notice I spent a good bit of the afternoon in front of my laptop.

~jc

soon, we're there too

Children of the Nations

Check out their site if you have some time...http://www.cotni.org/

We're going to their Malawi site...http://www.cotni.org/29-malawi

human doings

I'm finally sitting down to fully read (actually it's just read, as in, for the first time...I said, "fully" cause it sounds better, like I've already done some of my homework) my http://www.cotni.org Venture Team Manual, and I came across a core value I love. It's actually numero uno on the list:

"...We are not there to be the American fix; rather we come along to encourage, assist, and empower the national staff... At COTN we challenge people to remember that we are human beings, not human doings. We are more interested in having you "be" with our people than getting something accomplished."

I feel grateful and more confident knowing that I'm heading off into the unknown with an organization who puts something like being vs. doing at the top of their list of values. This is really a huge reason I have wanted to go on this trip, and only today see that my desire coincides with COTN's for me. Pretty cool. There's a lady I know who'd probably say something about a "God deal" right about now.

we're going where??!!

I just wanted you all to see where we're going on the map. Amber said something to me the other day like, "we're actually going to Africa! Who does that? I mean people talk about it etc, but we're actually going."


She didn't mean it in a condescending, we're going and poo poo on everyone else because they're not, but more like, "what the heck are we doing???!!!"


I love that woman, and I'm so glad we're going together.