Finally On Our Way

March 1st

The outpouring of support continues.  Our community, church, co-workers and friends keep piling it on & right about now; we wish that we could drive a semi straight to Africa.  We have packed and re-packed, weighed and re-weighed our suitcases so many times. Both of our stress levels are running high, at least at a 9.  We fight about what to take and how to pack it. How does one best decide?  Do you take life saving medications for patients with heart disease and high blood pressure or glucometers and insulin to treat diabetics? Or there are the screening kits for cervical cancer and needle-less IV systems to protect healthcare workers from Aids. & oh yes the package from Global Health that must be included, the list goes on and on.  We compromise and throw out one of the snacks we planned to take, less socks and underwear.  Hopefully we don’t regret that choice!

The emotions that one feels leading up to a trip such as this are really hard to describe.  The anticipation mounts; you are both excited and terrified at the same time.  You worry about the kids, the family, the house, and the dogs, the house/dog-sitter, and even the cats.  Will it snow while we are away?  Will the guy you have lined up to plow the driveway dig too deep into the gravel?  Will the houses old electrical system die while we are gone? Trust me when I say…you just worry about everything.  Things you typically don’t even give a second thought too.  It is hard to put a label on what one is feeling; perhaps it is not worry but just comes out that way.

Being total control freaks, we are reminded that control is an illusion.  For sure we are headed to a place where we will have control over nothing.  We will be running on African time, the plane comes when it wants or doesn’t show up at all.  This is a place very different from what we are familiar with, and one in which we must learn to go with the flow, take it as it comes and oh yes, there is patience.  This is difficult, as we are especially not patient people! We would throw in a book to read, but then that would put our luggage overweight. Oh what to do? For sure we will not be ready until we get on that plane and then we will cry most of the way to Chicago.  But hey it’s for a good cause right?

Some people ask, “Why would you even want to do this?”    I am uncertain of how to answer that, other than to say that mission work is probably more about building on the character of the one performing the mission, at least as much as it is about the very people you are trying to help.  Hopefully we will both return in one piece and be better people for it. 

Last night we had a big send off supper with our families and Pastor Noah.  We had one last feast of American food before we go.  Thanks everyone for the donated goods, well wishes, money, prayers, and oh yes that awesome African cake.

Departing Minneapolis to Chicago to Brussels to Douala, Cameroon…. Our next reporting, God willing, will come to you live from Africa