things are about to warm up.

We leave a week from Friday.. its unreal how fast this trip has come up.. tonight I (H) have the daunting task of starting to pack our bags. I have been collecting things over the weeks so I think we have everything we need..

Packing for this trip is a little different than usual.. we are carrying lots of medication and medical supplies with us so that adds.. weight and risk of things coming up missing. we are not taking things of value.. and if so it will be carry-on with us.. but there are things that become more valuable if you dont have them.. ie. Clothing.. shoes.. towels.. :) so the trick is to pack as though you may lose a bag or two.. hopefully not.. but for a family of 4 it means mixing up the bags so everyone has a little of everything in each bag. sounds like fun right?

so far the fact that we are going to be in South Africa a week from Saturday has not hit me.. currently the thing I am most looking forward to is the April average in SA is 83 degrees.. hmmmm that just sounds too good to be true as spring is dragging its feet around here.

We have been praying for our team and the closer the trip approaches we can feel the pressure building with work, family, health issues.. but God has been good to us!

alright.. B took the kids out tonight so I could focus so I guess I better do that.. just wanted to pop in and send a little love your way! <3

''There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.'' ~Nelson Mandela

We have officially moved from the "we are going to South Africa this coming spring.. to.. We are GOING to SOUTH AFRICA in about 4 WEEKS!
Time is moving quickly these days and in about 4 weeks we will find ourselves in South Africa! We are getting excited and preparations are underway.. I (H) am definitely trying to keep things simple..

Our team has been working hard breaking down medication packaging, placing things in ziplocks and labeling it with terms like Diphenhydramine (benedryl) and loperamide (Imodium)... further breakdown of these drugs will take place once we arrive when the pill counting begins.. we take 2 days and count pills into ziplocks and label them for our pharmacy. We have heard the "fun" that this can be. Our team makes every effort that the pills are counted correctly, all look the same, and are not expired. This is part of serving with excellence and representing God and also ACM (African Christian Ministries)to the people we are serving.

As of late we have encountered some hurdles with our diet. J is currently confirmed allergic to Milk and Nuts and we suspect gluten as well. I (H) am intolerant of milk protein and possibly gluten. So as you can imagine traveling to another country where we will most likely be unable to read labels and will be served food that we are unaware of the ingredients has its added challenges.. We are just praying for wisdom and mercy in this area.. we will be bring some food to supplement and are fully prepared to eat beans and rice the entire time ;)

Thank you so much for the support that we have received! It is truly a blessing to have so many of you standing behind us in this venture.. we are so excited and humbled to have this opportunity and we are so thankful that you are a part of it!!

we will make efforts to update this blog while we are abroad but we are unsure of the internet available. but you will receive email updates via our team while we are there.. so please make sure we have your email if you are interested in receiving updates!! until we leave I will be updating you on our progress and post prayer requests. so Stay tuned for further updates..

Prayer requests:
*Please pray for health for our family in the next few weeks.. we would love to leave the country healthy!! :)
*please pray for wisdom in packing and smooth travel with the kids.
*please pray that we would continue to meet our financial goal.
*please pray for our team to continue to unify and get to know one another.

THANKS!!