thirteen days

I cannot believe I am leaving in less than two weeks. I get this funny feeling in the pit of my stomach when I think about it. So many months of praying and waiting and finally I am only two weeks away.

Of course there is so much to be done before I go, and I have been rather lazy. Here is my tentative schedule for the next two weeks.


June 5 - June 9
I will be in Georgia, doing some last minute shopping and going to physical therapy. On June 6 my dad and my brother fly into Savannah! I have not seen my brother in 10 months so I am very very excited for this :)


June 9 - June 11
I will be in Waxhaw going to several doctors appointments. If you are there I would LOVE to see you before I go!


June 11 - June 13
Hopefully I will be going to Myrtle Beach with awesome Grace people!


June 13 - 16
Back in Waxhaw for a couple of appointments and more preparation. Allie gets back from California on the 15... I think... and will only have a day before...

June 17 
FLY OUT FROM THE CHARLOTTE AIRPORT!!!

I was hoping to make it back up to Chapel Hill to see some wonderful people but I don't think I will be able to. But I appreciate everyone for making cards and keeping me in your prayers. You have no idea how much that means. A couple things to be praying for...

1. My back has been hurting the last couple weeks. I am going to physical therapy and it is getting much better, but it would be wonderful to go into this trip without any pain.

2. Apparently, my family thinks I am malnourished. They will not stop making jokes about it. Which is NOT the case, but it would be great if I could go into the trip 100% healthy.

3. Safety for Allie and me as we travel. I know God has everything under control, but it does make me a little nervous to be traveling to a country I've never been to before. So imagine how my parents feel :)

Thank you all so much for supporting me! I know I could not have gotten this far without your prayers and support.

As an endnote... here are a couple awesome things that God has done.

Annika Johansson arrived in Uganda safely and has started working in the Sanyu Daycare with the kids. I am so excited for her!

Also... my friends Abby and Kelcie just got safely back from their trip to Uganda and have amazing stories to tell. I can not wait to hear all of them. God is doing a good work in Africa this summer!

the news

http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/africa/horn-of-africa/sudan/159-sudan-regional-perspectives-on-the-prospect-of-southern-independence.aspx

Check this article out for information on what's going on politically in Sudan. :)

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.

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

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!