Tuesday, March 18, 2008

19 days

Charlie and I just had a conversation over lunch about how we would get to the airport the day we leave. At that moment I could not swallow my food because I suddenly thought of all the things that need to be done in the next 19 days. And I thought about the fact that in 19 days we are actually going to get on a plane (4 different ones actually) and travel for 36 hours. That thought made me almost regurgitate my already swallowed food.

You would think that with all the travelling and flying I have done in my life that I would be used to it and that I wouldn't dread it or get nervous or wish that I could be tranquilized and put into a crate with holes and taken off the plane with a fork lift at our final destination!

Anyway, I am parking myself at Philippians 4:4-8 and that's where my mind is staying. And this post from yesterday over at Holly's blog really helped me get my priorities straight this a.m..

Thankfully, I have started marking things off my "to-do-before-we-leave" list. We got the kid's medical check-ups accomplished last week. This week we have to turn in their stool specimens and urine samples. Let me tell you we have had some interesting conversations about that.......how to do it......how NOT to do it (don't ask!). Abby still has to do hers. And because she is 6 and needs lots of help and always waits until the very last moment to go to the bathroom anyway, it's difficult to get the cups ready for retrieval at the right time. Pray for us! :-) I apologize.....that was probably way too much information.

I have also been cleaning out cupboards, closets and drawers so that we leave the house nice and tidy while we are gone. It'll be nice to return to an organized house. I would like to say that it's just my nature to be organized like that. But actually our mission requires that we leave things identified or labelled when we go on furlough - in the event that we are not able to return to our country and someone has to pack up our house for us, they need to know what things we would want shipped back to us and what things they could sell or give away. It's a great opportunity to clean and "purge" but it's also a lot of work.

So basically now I am sitting here procrastinating. I have one last youth group to lead tomorrow. I'm basically ready for that. Then next week we have to go to South Africa. That's the other thing that makes leaving in 19 days so hectic.......we have to attend a meeting in Johannesburg for 6 days right before we leave. We actually come back to Maputo for one week then we leave for the states. The meeting, which our whole family will attend, will actually be a great time to stop and refuel before we leave.

OK, I'm finished procrastinating for now. There are three drawers I might have time to clean out before the kids get home from school.

1 comment:

Kecia said...

I have been praying for you, Ang, with all you have to do to get ready. Didn't know about the specimen thing-fun... Have I ever told you Mom's flying verse? It's Nahum (yes, Nahum) 1:3 "The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. In whirlwind and storm is His way, and clouds are the dust beneath His feet." Love you--K