3 more days!

a lot of emotions are happening right now in me.  i am so very excited to do some traveling! some friendships with some team members have become stronger because of it and i am glad :)  i am excited to meet new people and see new things.  i know my eyes will be opened up to A LOT!!!  i have been on a few missions trips before in the past, the last one being to romania.  we saw quite a bit there on our journey.  u definitely come back changed.  i am expecting to come back different.  my husband nows i will come back different. my kids might be in for a rude awakening but they will soon see that momma has come back changed... and hopefully for the better! i hope that one day i can share such an experience WITH them and my husband. i have a feeling that this is just the beginning of a new and good thing in my life.

while we are there we will get a lot of time with the people of karima.  we will get some one on one time and group time and hopefully a lot of time with the kids there.  i will want to see how many i can cram into my suitcase, i am sure.  not sure if that will work, but if it did i would do it in a heart beat!!!  "hey baby... i brought home some living and breathing souvenirs :)"

they have asked us to have a verse to share when we introduce ourselves to the community.  so, i have thought about it and decided to use my "life verse" that i have fallen back on more times than not.  it is a powerful truth and sometimes i forget to tap into that strength that is always at my fingertips to use.  crazy why i don't, but anyway here it is:

Isaiah 40:28-31 

       Do you not know? 
       Have you not heard? 
       The LORD is the everlasting God, 
       the Creator of the ends of the earth. 
       He will not grow tired or weary, 
       and his understanding no one can fathom.

    He gives strength to the weary 
       and increases the power of the weak.

   Even youths grow tired and weary, 
       and young men stumble and fall;

    but those who hope in the LORD 
       will renew their strength. 
       They will soar on wings like eagles; 
       they will run and not grow weary, 
       they will walk and not be faint.

i know i will be tapping into it while i am away. i am going to try my hardest to make it daily!  why don't you do that too?

please pray for me while i am on my journey.  our itinerary has changed a bit as far as the travel goes.  i will be leaving charlotte on thursday morning at 7 and getting into atlanta alittle after 8.  we leave around 12:30 p.m. from atlanta for ghana.  we will be there at 8:30 a.m. on friday morning(they are 4 hours ahead of us... so that would be at 4:30 a.m. our time).  how many hours in the air is that???  14... WOW!  we then have a 12 hour layover there in ghana... flight leaving at 8:50 p.m. (4:50 p.m. here in charlotte).  we arrive in nairobi at 5:30 a.m. which is on saturday morning.  nairobi is 7 hours ahead of us here in charlotte( 10:30 p.m. friday nite).  i have a feeling we will be running on adrenaline at this point :)  

also, please keep me in mind and in your prayers personally.  i have been to other countries before, but at that time i was neither married nor had children.  i have been dealing with some separation anxiety for well over a week now and it is exhausting and i haven't even left yet!  i need to tap into that power that God has for me, right? :)  i know i will be balling when i say good-bye.  probably will ball when i return too!  pray that my kids are comforted as well as victor while i am gone.  thankfully, his parents will be coming in on thursday afternoon.  my parents and brothers family are in town too, so i am sure he will have all the help he needs. he has been so good to me with letting me go.  it wasn't even a question in his mind at all as to whether or not i should go.  i would have loved for both of us to go, but knowing that he will be home with our children while i am away is comfort in itself.  i love you, victor!  i love you eden, shea and abel too :)

i am not sure if i will get to write anymore before i go, but please take a look at the itinerary for each day and if you would like specifics to pray for me on a certain day that should help you out.  thanks to each of you for making this possible!  i told the girls that i had staying with us back in november that i would come and see them "one day".... and who knew i would be just days away from that.  i will be sure to post some pics and stories when i return.  we do not have internet access while we are there so i am leaving my computer at home.  i am taking a journal with me, so i am sure you will get to hear excerpts from that.   love you all~ beth