Wednesday, May 19, 2010

oh my

I know this blog is about my trip to Sudan, but since I'm not quite there yet I thought I'd give you an update on what I'll be doing until I leave. Currently I am in Nevils, Georgia, which is 15 minutes south of Statesboro and 45 minutes north of Savannah. It's not the most happening of places, but it is beautiful in its own way. I am on a farm... hence the cows... and spent most of today trying to find ways to entertain myself.

So my grandma has a pool, but she hasn't uncovered it from the winter. So I tried to uncover it but unfortunately somehow it drained, therefore, no swimming. So instead I decided to tan and read. But I didn't want to burn so I put sunscreen on, but it was like SPF 1 zillion, therefore, no tan. FAIL

So I decided to drive the truck and take pictures of the farm, and that was actually successful. But that didn't take very long. So I played guitar until my fingers hurt. And then walked about aimlessly for awhile. And ate some. And tried to read some more...

In all honesty I was really bored. But the cool thing about the quietness is it has given me a lot of time to think. At school, it gets crazy, and I don't have time to stop and just listen. Here I am forced to listen. It's good just to be silent.

This passage of Scripture in Lamentations has been going through my head like crazy the last couple days. The first part is about how the writer is pretty much in the depths of despair... it's pretty graphic he talks about how arrows are being driven into his kidneys. But the part I really like is when he does a complete shift and talks about how it is good to wait quietly for the Lord, to seek Him and sit alone in silence.

It is a struggle for me to sit still, to wait, and to be quiet. But I must miss out on so much. I want to learn how to be still and seek Him. I'm going to have a good bit of down time in Sudan, as well as here. I really hope I can learn how to be still.
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Monday, May 17, 2010

bare necessities

So this is my packing list... I can't decide if I'm more excited or nervous at this point in time.
  • Sheets 1-2 sets—you do not need a sleeping bag. It is too hot—we will have blankets. 
  • Pillow
  • Towel 1-2
  • Soap
  • Shampoo
  • Razors
  • Shaving cream
  • Deodorant
  • Toothbrush
  • Toothpaste
  • Sunscreen
  • Sunglasses
  • Bug spray
  • Journals
  • Books---don’t underestimate your need for entertainment
  • Bible
  • iPod (we will be able to charge ipods, cameras, etc in Yei)
  • Camera
  • Personal meds
  • Snack food/candy
  • Flashlight
  • Batteries
  • Instruments
  • Nalgene water bottle (Kool-Aid, Gatorade powders are great)
  • Small backpack (should double as your carry-on)
  • Mirror (optional)
  • Personal water filter(optional)
  • Pocket knife/leatherman(optional)
  • Passport
  • I.D.
  • Personal money for souvenirs
  • Any gifts you want to give to the community (clothes, school supplies, hygiene supplies, etc)
I feel so unprepared right now. Partially because I do not have half of the things on this list, but also the trip in itself is becoming so much more real now. It has seemed so far away for so long, but now it is finally almost here.

Slightly frightening... but incredibly exciting at the same time!

thirty days

Sunday, May 16, 2010

The beginning

I have very limited time to post anything because I have spent so much time trying to edit this thing. Unfortunately I am not a cool editing layout person. Anyway this will be my official blog for my trip to Africa this summer. I will definitely be posting more interesting things soon.

31 days!