Down To A Week

Everything seems to be getting a bit crazy and calm at the same time.  Which is quite a weird sensation.  The closer the day gets, the more relaxed I’m becoming about the trip and what we will do.  The closer the day gets, the more crazed I’m becoming about what I need to do before the trip.  I am actually looking forward to meeting at the airport at 4 am next Thursday, to just say, “Well, if I didn’t do it, it’s too late now.” 

So now the calm takes over and I’m just sitting and wondering what it will truly be like.  I understand Laurel’s post about the safety of a foreign country but for some reason that really hasn’t affected me.  And I’m glad it hasn’t deterred her from joining us on this trip.

As we were preparing during our last meeting, I was pleased to hear Pastor tell us that we will have time together to just have some fun.  After we’ve had supper, we can sit back and relax and just enjoy being in Kenya.  It will be great to have those slower moments to help us wind down from each day’s mission work.

So we are heading into the final stages of prep and beginning a journey that will change not only what we think of other places in the world, but of what we think of ourselves.

Tony

Warning! Surrealism.

Surreal=having the disorienting, hallucinary qualities of a dream; unreal; fantastic

I have been searching for the perfect words to describe what I have been feeling these past few days, and I have suddenly realized all I feel is one. This whole process of preparing for this trip has been surreal. It is fantastic and feels like a dream, and very disorienting too. I find myself slightly afraid of saying something offensive or something awful happening. Most of my family members are not supportive of this trip due to the risks that follow traveling to a foreign country. I am hoping that with the help of my very diverse and talented team that I will be able to snap into reality.

There are so many warnings and worries that come with the trip. Forgetting something that you will need, bad foreign affairs, parasites and other health problems. Even the malaria medication has foreboding instructions:

If vomitting occurs within a half hour of ingestion, take another dose. If it occurs within another half hour, take a half dose or consult a doctor.

That's just scary.

However, all of these warnings has not curbed my excitement! Being a younger member of the mission, it has all the trappings of an adventrous trip while sharing my faith and learning of others. What more could someone want?

Laurel

Getting Ready to. . . .sit and wait for 9 days

Less than 9 days until we fly out.  The excitement is truly reaching new levels, which is fine.  People at work keep asking me, “So are you counting down yet?”  Counting down???  I’ve been counting down since 90 days and now I’m at 9 days. 

I’ve been looking at our at our flights to find when we can eat.  I hate eating most airplane food.  But that 8 hour flight to Zurich and 7 hour flight to Nairobi might require some airplane food.  Hopefully it’s decent.  Maybe I’ll just have the obligatory bag of peanuts.

I suppose I better start thinking of what clothes to actually pack.  I don’t want to be uncomfortable in any weather and have it detract from what we are there to do.  So better pack light stuff that can work in layers.  That way I can dress for the cool mornings, shed stuff for the warmer mid day and then put it back on for the cool evenings.

Less than 9 days.  Wow. . .I still haven’t quite got my head around the fact I’m going to Kenya.

Tony

Last Meeting - Now Down to 10 Days.

Well we had our last meeting Saturday to go over those final details before we all fly out on the 17^th.  It was a great meeting.  Every moment with these people makes me glad to be going on this trip with them.  Everyone is excited for the trip and the work that we shall be doing.  The excitement they brings rubs off and I get even more excited myself.  This will be a great trip. 

It was nice to hear Pastor Charles talk about how we still want to have fun.  Everything we have done has been focused on getting ready for the trip and the work we will be doing.  So when he mentioned getting together at night to just have fun as a group, I think we all kind of realized that we had almost been taking this too seriously.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t be serious about this trip and the prep work we have all done.  But we should enjoy each other’s company and the experience.  We need to relax at times and just let God and Kenya tell us what they wish to tell us.  It will be the moments of interaction that will be what forms the memories.  Whether it is interacting with each other, the people we meet, or those quiet moments with God, that is from where the memories will arise.

I have to say, I’m really looking forward now to the home stays.  It will be interesting to spend time in a Kenyan home and share with the people that are willing to open their home to us.  I hope that I make a favorable impression on those that welcome me into their home.  It will be so much more than I can think and so amazing to just share with people willing to share with me.

Tony