well. what. the. heck...? tomorrow is june 11. a day i have been throwing around like it would never get here. there will be 11 of us from nashville going. we will be meeting up with 4 from indiana in chicago. so 15 of us will embark tomorrow on what is surely to be a rewarding yet difficult journey. everything in my mind now is frozen. it's like i can't really even think. i have had things swirling through my head...what ifs, hows, whys, how much...constantly, but now i think it's come to the point of no need to worry or fret just go. that is the sentiment i feel has persuaded me all along...just go. and go we will. we are supposed to meet at the nashville airport at 2:00 tomorrow. our flight to chicago is at 4:05 (by the way, in a little american eagle jet. ugh.) i think i am going to let you know our flight times so you can pray for us if you happen to think of us at these times. so here goes: leaving chicago for london at 8:10 pm arrive london at 9:45 am. leave london 9:15 pm (yes, pm, we have a whole day in london) and arrive entebbe at 7:45 am. we have two night flights going over so it should be a good time to sleep...? hopefully. i am sure our times will be all messed up but it's all good. we are going to just roll with it. on the way home we leave entebbe at 9:00 am and get into london at 3:50 in the afternoon. we will then have an over night lay over leaving the next morning at 11:45 am getting into chicago at 2:15 pm. chicago to nashville at 4:35 pm landing at 6:00 pm in NASHVILLE. woo hoo! i know i will be very happy to get home by this point but i also anticipate a bittersweet jubilation. i know the people of kampala will leave an indelible mark on our hearts and minds. i am so blessed by those of you who have texted or emailed sweet messages of support to me or the girls. we are excited and will take you with us. "Stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:58
shouldn't go without packing. mason likes to remind me of this by frequently telling me that i always wait until the last minute and i stay up too late on nights before trips, etc. but that is when i am getting things ready for 7 people. i am really just getting myself ready for this trip. emily and abigail are taking care of their "stuff" and are doing their part. as a mom i guess you always do little things here and there that they may not think about. i have been gathering things for the past week it's just getting it all in a bag to go. (thank you, jeanne, for delivering skin so soft to us yesterday!) we have to pack a little bit of all three of our clothes in different bags in case any of our luggage gets lost. each bag also has some supplies (for the orphanage) we will need as well. emily works today until 5 so ab and i are going to start assessing what needs to go where and start the process. caroline is at BA basketball camp/practice in murfreesboro, julianne is at gamma's and caitlin is working so the house is free and clear for us to spread it all out. it's 8:50 am right now. i hope to check in later with things all done. maybe i can sit on my back porch tonight and drink coffee with caitlin instead of rushing around finishing things. she always requests that but it seems we never settle down for the night in time. we go, go, go and we are always too tired or either fall asleep even though we intend to do it. so with that being said, i guess i need to get a move on and stop thinking that time is standing still.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
quietly preparing...
well, well today's post is mainly about words of comfort. i woke up early. mason was already gone. emily was up getting ready for work but everyone else was asleep. the house is quiet and i start reading email and facebook. emily has sent me a message on facebook with words to a song that was playing on her computer playlist this morning. i am not going to say we are "scared" but with 3 days to go we are getting a little anxious. the song has the words of amazing grace at the beginning but then other words are added.
this is her facebook message to me:
"in a song i woke up to this morning..we need to remember this friday
Through many dangers, toils and snares
You have already come
His grace has brought you safe this far
And His grace will lead you home
And the arms that hold the universe
Are holding you tonight
You can rest inside
It's gonna be alright
And the voice that calmed the raging sea
Is calling you His child
So be still and know He's in control
He will never let you go"
then, when i checked my email one of my prayer partners, teresa, had sent this verse to me. she was lead to it as she was praying for us.
2 Thessalonians 3:1-5
Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith. But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance.
it is so reassuring to know that i really do have people praying for us (the girls and me and the team) and to know that they are on this journey with us. as i continued through the facebook newsfeed, i read the status of a family friend who is now a pastor in memphis. it said:
1 Corinthians 15:58 - "Stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."
so with all of this being said... i feel good today. i am ready mentally, spiritually and almost physically. i have not mentioned the fact that i am anemic but i feel this is a good time to mention it. a normal blood count is 12-15. mine is 9.4. i say this only to underscore, once more, that this may not be perfect timing but i feel this is what i need to do. i am not at my strongest. i tire easily and by a normal day's end, my comfy bed is calling me. i will leave soon to go to a world unknown to me with a tired body but a strong soul. i pray and believe that my body will have the strength needed to do the work needed and for the duration needed. i have to tie up some loose ends today, run some errands and get back home to start spraying the clothes. i just think that's going to be an experience in itself.
this is her facebook message to me:
"in a song i woke up to this morning..we need to remember this friday
Through many dangers, toils and snares
You have already come
His grace has brought you safe this far
And His grace will lead you home
And the arms that hold the universe
Are holding you tonight
You can rest inside
It's gonna be alright
And the voice that calmed the raging sea
Is calling you His child
So be still and know He's in control
He will never let you go"
then, when i checked my email one of my prayer partners, teresa, had sent this verse to me. she was lead to it as she was praying for us.
2 Thessalonians 3:1-5
Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith. But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance.
it is so reassuring to know that i really do have people praying for us (the girls and me and the team) and to know that they are on this journey with us. as i continued through the facebook newsfeed, i read the status of a family friend who is now a pastor in memphis. it said:
1 Corinthians 15:58 - "Stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."
so with all of this being said... i feel good today. i am ready mentally, spiritually and almost physically. i have not mentioned the fact that i am anemic but i feel this is a good time to mention it. a normal blood count is 12-15. mine is 9.4. i say this only to underscore, once more, that this may not be perfect timing but i feel this is what i need to do. i am not at my strongest. i tire easily and by a normal day's end, my comfy bed is calling me. i will leave soon to go to a world unknown to me with a tired body but a strong soul. i pray and believe that my body will have the strength needed to do the work needed and for the duration needed. i have to tie up some loose ends today, run some errands and get back home to start spraying the clothes. i just think that's going to be an experience in itself.
Monday, June 7, 2010
supplies and surprises...
sunday, june 6
today was our final team meeting. everyone came to our house with all of the supplies they had gathered and an empty suitcase. we sorted everything and and opened our bags. they were quickly filled with individual mirrors (these kids don't know what they look like), pencil boxes filled with markers, glue sticks, colored pencils, construction paper, toothpaste, hair clips, coloring books, dum dum suckers, some recreational items, beads and twine and more. we got the business taken care of so that when our families and prayer partners joined us it would be a time of relaxation and fun. we had more than 40 people here. kids running everywhere, good eats and sweet prayer time. we are so excited to get there! frankly, when the plane lands in entebbe, i will be fired up! i totally, totally dread the flights. please pray for me and our team!
monday, june 7
today i had two early phone conversations with two friends from my childhood. these are friends who are friends for life. crystal and sally. they both wanted to hear about the plans for the trip and see if i needed anything and asked if i was ready. these are friends who i can be totally honest with about excitement as well as trepidation. they understand and support. i am so blessed to have such sweet people in my life who truly care for me. this is crazy but it turns out that crystal will be in london at the same time we will be on our return flight from entebbe. we will actually be spending the night in london that night so we are planning to meet for dinner. yay! she will be able to get a fresh account of our experience complete with pictures. i am truly hoping that one day these sweet friends (including you, suzanne) can accompany me on another trip! later in the day i went to my mother's for a little bit to sit in the sun with her, caitlin, emily, julianne and sandy (my sister in law). i acted like i had nothing in the world to do. maybe i am in denial...? i got home and checked the mail. yay to abigail and julianne who got their grades today. proud of them and so thankful julianne pulled it together and finished english strong! the summer school possibility was looming :/ i then started on the huge mounds of clothes that needed washing. we do not plan to take much but i needed to make sure that what we did want to take was clean. we will most likely be wearing a lot of the same clothes several different times. when we shower with untreated water (eww!)we will be washing off all of the 40% deet bug spray and the at least 30 spf sunscreen only to spray the bug spray on again once we get out of the shower. does that sound clean to you? i don't think we will feel clean at all the entire time we are there. that's ok. we are prepared for that. we are also trying to prepare ourselves for the actual showering. we cannot open our mouths. i am taking duct tape to put over our mouths. you think i am crazy, right? i have already stated that i a am germ freak. but seriously, all i know is that once we check into that london hotel on the way home we will be so excited to take a clean shower and put on clean clothes. i am already thinking, as i type this, that we may not want to "wash away" our experience. once we board the plane home, we may want to continue to live in the little slice of world that will most likely be ingrained in our souls.
i continue to be amazed by acts of kindness that are being shown. i love how i see God putting a exclamation mark where i sometimes want to put a question mark. today, i received two unsolicited checks from people who just want to help out. this, to me, solidifies that i am doing the right thing. it's very easy to get down and think negatively but when so much around me is positive, i have to just trust and hand it over to God. i remain so humbled that i get this opportunity and especially the fact that i get to experience it with two of my girls.
today was our final team meeting. everyone came to our house with all of the supplies they had gathered and an empty suitcase. we sorted everything and and opened our bags. they were quickly filled with individual mirrors (these kids don't know what they look like), pencil boxes filled with markers, glue sticks, colored pencils, construction paper, toothpaste, hair clips, coloring books, dum dum suckers, some recreational items, beads and twine and more. we got the business taken care of so that when our families and prayer partners joined us it would be a time of relaxation and fun. we had more than 40 people here. kids running everywhere, good eats and sweet prayer time. we are so excited to get there! frankly, when the plane lands in entebbe, i will be fired up! i totally, totally dread the flights. please pray for me and our team!
monday, june 7
today i had two early phone conversations with two friends from my childhood. these are friends who are friends for life. crystal and sally. they both wanted to hear about the plans for the trip and see if i needed anything and asked if i was ready. these are friends who i can be totally honest with about excitement as well as trepidation. they understand and support. i am so blessed to have such sweet people in my life who truly care for me. this is crazy but it turns out that crystal will be in london at the same time we will be on our return flight from entebbe. we will actually be spending the night in london that night so we are planning to meet for dinner. yay! she will be able to get a fresh account of our experience complete with pictures. i am truly hoping that one day these sweet friends (including you, suzanne) can accompany me on another trip! later in the day i went to my mother's for a little bit to sit in the sun with her, caitlin, emily, julianne and sandy (my sister in law). i acted like i had nothing in the world to do. maybe i am in denial...? i got home and checked the mail. yay to abigail and julianne who got their grades today. proud of them and so thankful julianne pulled it together and finished english strong! the summer school possibility was looming :/ i then started on the huge mounds of clothes that needed washing. we do not plan to take much but i needed to make sure that what we did want to take was clean. we will most likely be wearing a lot of the same clothes several different times. when we shower with untreated water (eww!)we will be washing off all of the 40% deet bug spray and the at least 30 spf sunscreen only to spray the bug spray on again once we get out of the shower. does that sound clean to you? i don't think we will feel clean at all the entire time we are there. that's ok. we are prepared for that. we are also trying to prepare ourselves for the actual showering. we cannot open our mouths. i am taking duct tape to put over our mouths. you think i am crazy, right? i have already stated that i a am germ freak. but seriously, all i know is that once we check into that london hotel on the way home we will be so excited to take a clean shower and put on clean clothes. i am already thinking, as i type this, that we may not want to "wash away" our experience. once we board the plane home, we may want to continue to live in the little slice of world that will most likely be ingrained in our souls.
i continue to be amazed by acts of kindness that are being shown. i love how i see God putting a exclamation mark where i sometimes want to put a question mark. today, i received two unsolicited checks from people who just want to help out. this, to me, solidifies that i am doing the right thing. it's very easy to get down and think negatively but when so much around me is positive, i have to just trust and hand it over to God. i remain so humbled that i get this opportunity and especially the fact that i get to experience it with two of my girls.
Friday, June 4, 2010
one week to go...
thursday, june 3
today is my father's birthday. he died in 1996 in belize while scuba diving. he would have been 73 today. i just want to recognize the fact that he is one of the main reasons that i feel the urge to go on a mission like this. he taught me compassion and acceptance. he was such a loving man and is hugely missed by all of us. i wish my girls had had the chance to have his influence in their life. we keep him alive by talking about him but the void of his personality and presence can't be denied.
friday, june 4
i tried to gather my thoughts and decompress today. caroline is at the lake with her basketball team... julianne is spending the night with friends... caitlin is in birmingham... abigail is babysitting. this freed me up for some time with emily at wal mart. woo hoo! we had to get a few more things before we start to pack. (remember, we are supposed to spray all of our clothes with the military repellent spray and allow to air dry before we pack. that will be a long process.) i have gotten great ideas from friends who have already done a trip like this. one of the better tips to me is to take flat sheets to put over our "bed". also, to pack a pillow case that you can put clothes in to use as a pillow. it will just feel good to have a little comfort that smells and feels like home. thanks to julie and jenni for that! they also told me to pack clothes in two separate bags in case one gets lost. great idea. i think we will put a little of each of our clothes in three different bags. surely all three won't get lost...? going to watch a movie now with emily if we can find one on demand. i hear mason snoring so i think it will be a girly movie.
today is my father's birthday. he died in 1996 in belize while scuba diving. he would have been 73 today. i just want to recognize the fact that he is one of the main reasons that i feel the urge to go on a mission like this. he taught me compassion and acceptance. he was such a loving man and is hugely missed by all of us. i wish my girls had had the chance to have his influence in their life. we keep him alive by talking about him but the void of his personality and presence can't be denied.
friday, june 4
i tried to gather my thoughts and decompress today. caroline is at the lake with her basketball team... julianne is spending the night with friends... caitlin is in birmingham... abigail is babysitting. this freed me up for some time with emily at wal mart. woo hoo! we had to get a few more things before we start to pack. (remember, we are supposed to spray all of our clothes with the military repellent spray and allow to air dry before we pack. that will be a long process.) i have gotten great ideas from friends who have already done a trip like this. one of the better tips to me is to take flat sheets to put over our "bed". also, to pack a pillow case that you can put clothes in to use as a pillow. it will just feel good to have a little comfort that smells and feels like home. thanks to julie and jenni for that! they also told me to pack clothes in two separate bags in case one gets lost. great idea. i think we will put a little of each of our clothes in three different bags. surely all three won't get lost...? going to watch a movie now with emily if we can find one on demand. i hear mason snoring so i think it will be a girly movie.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
9 days and counting...
tuesday, june 1...
i woke up today with a lot on my mind. the holiday was over and i have so much to do. i first went to target with julianne and abigail. we got a few snacks for the trip, some shampoo, bug spray, markers for the children, kleenex, zip loc bags, etc. we need to start packing. someone told me to get the 2 1/2 gallon size baggies to pack fresh clothes in. it will be nice to have clean clothes to put on after we land in london on our way home. if we don't separate some clothes from our others, i am quite sure they will be yucky if they are kept with our other clothes from the week. after target, we went to bed, bath and beyond to check on fans. got a few small, battery operated fans to use when we sleep. i checked the weather today for uganda and it said the high was 75! now that sounds good to me :) i went to the verizon store to check out global phone service. my basic flip phone is not set up for global service so they are sending me a loaner phone. we can email and bbm (blackberry messenger) to all blackberry users free from both the uk and uganda! if you are a blackberry user feel free to bbm us while we are there. we will have one phone and it will be my regular number. texts and calls are more expensive of course, so please don't call or text us. it makes me feel better knowing i can communicate free to caitlin and mason. i just feel good knowing that they, as well as julianne and caroline, can get me if needed. everybody needs their mama! caroline has not said she doesn't want me to go but i can tell she is a little unsure. she will say little things here and there and she has been more cuddly. she likes to snuggle anyway but she's been a bit more clingy. she is at one of her best buddy's house right now and has texted me saying she was sad. that is unusual.
wednesday, june 2...
today i woke up again, with my mind full of things to add to my list. i (and caitlin and julianne) had to first take my mother to meet some friends from atlanta and indiana. they were going to memphis for a class reunion. they all look so young and are so active. after we had her taken care of, we came home only to find out we had to go right back out. caitlin had to babysit so julianne and i headed out to pick up some kids toothpaste that had been donated by some sweet dentist friends. thank you to dr. temp sullivan, dr. dale sullivan, sr. and dr. dale sullivan, jr. because of them we are going to be able to give each kid in the orphanage their own tube of toothpaste along with a toothbrush. we plan to put them in their birthday bag. since most of these kids don't even know their birthday, sweet sleep throws a birthday party for all of them! we are putting together goody bags that will contain the toothpaste, toothbrushes, pencils, a picture frame, a picture that we will take of them when we get there (they don't ever see themselves), a hand held mirror, silly bands (donated by learning express. thank you, connie and janine! emily works there and got them today), dum dum suckers and a few more odds and ends. i have been told to ask before we take pictures in the city but usually kids like to get their picture taken and they like to see it after you take it. after picking up the toothpaste, we stopped by home to pick up abigail who had been babysitting. we went to bink's in downtown franklin to get abigail a kavu bag. she wanted a small flat bag to carry with her. emily also has one. they are cute. i figure i will take a larger bag daily so that i can take the camera and larger items we will need throughout the day...bug spray, sunscreen, snacks. we then went to belk to find some longer skirts for the girls. remember what i have said about the knees of a woman? got some on sale, just a few. i know we will be wearing a lot of things two or three times. this is why that zip loc bag of fresh clothes will be so welcomed! we stopped at border's to get summer reading books for school. we got caitlin and emily some leisure reading books. we then spent over an hour at sears looking at cameras. i have needed a new one for a while. i asked and asked and looked and looked and all three of us took pictures and compared them. poor chris, the salesman. he was kind of cocky in the beginning, not really wanting to talk much. he was set to get off at 7. but by 7:30 when we finally left we had gotten to be buddies. i knew his best friend's name (trevor) and that his favorite show was "the office". i knew his girlfriend was interviewing for a job. (sometimes i know my girls wonder how they are sane living with me. enough said). he had told us how he and another employee, jerry, were enlisting in the army together. so chris, jerry, abigail, julianne and i discussed this and we told them that we appreciated the fact that they will be protecting us and keeping us safe. we were exhausted. what a long day! lastly, we went to p.f. chang's and my fortune said this "your eyes will soon be opened to a world full of beauty, charm and adventure..." i believe so :) i know those sweet children will be full of beauty and charm. oh, but when i got home i checked my email and what popped up but att news saying that british airways has done something pretty dumb. not only have they been on strike, but obviously they had put osama bin laden's name on a fake boarding pass for some reason (advertisement) and it has caused indifference. what the heck? so now is bin laden going to want to retaliate against british airways?? did i mention we are flying BRITISH AIRWAYS? oh gosh. i gotta' go to bed...
i woke up today with a lot on my mind. the holiday was over and i have so much to do. i first went to target with julianne and abigail. we got a few snacks for the trip, some shampoo, bug spray, markers for the children, kleenex, zip loc bags, etc. we need to start packing. someone told me to get the 2 1/2 gallon size baggies to pack fresh clothes in. it will be nice to have clean clothes to put on after we land in london on our way home. if we don't separate some clothes from our others, i am quite sure they will be yucky if they are kept with our other clothes from the week. after target, we went to bed, bath and beyond to check on fans. got a few small, battery operated fans to use when we sleep. i checked the weather today for uganda and it said the high was 75! now that sounds good to me :) i went to the verizon store to check out global phone service. my basic flip phone is not set up for global service so they are sending me a loaner phone. we can email and bbm (blackberry messenger) to all blackberry users free from both the uk and uganda! if you are a blackberry user feel free to bbm us while we are there. we will have one phone and it will be my regular number. texts and calls are more expensive of course, so please don't call or text us. it makes me feel better knowing i can communicate free to caitlin and mason. i just feel good knowing that they, as well as julianne and caroline, can get me if needed. everybody needs their mama! caroline has not said she doesn't want me to go but i can tell she is a little unsure. she will say little things here and there and she has been more cuddly. she likes to snuggle anyway but she's been a bit more clingy. she is at one of her best buddy's house right now and has texted me saying she was sad. that is unusual.
wednesday, june 2...
today i woke up again, with my mind full of things to add to my list. i (and caitlin and julianne) had to first take my mother to meet some friends from atlanta and indiana. they were going to memphis for a class reunion. they all look so young and are so active. after we had her taken care of, we came home only to find out we had to go right back out. caitlin had to babysit so julianne and i headed out to pick up some kids toothpaste that had been donated by some sweet dentist friends. thank you to dr. temp sullivan, dr. dale sullivan, sr. and dr. dale sullivan, jr. because of them we are going to be able to give each kid in the orphanage their own tube of toothpaste along with a toothbrush. we plan to put them in their birthday bag. since most of these kids don't even know their birthday, sweet sleep throws a birthday party for all of them! we are putting together goody bags that will contain the toothpaste, toothbrushes, pencils, a picture frame, a picture that we will take of them when we get there (they don't ever see themselves), a hand held mirror, silly bands (donated by learning express. thank you, connie and janine! emily works there and got them today), dum dum suckers and a few more odds and ends. i have been told to ask before we take pictures in the city but usually kids like to get their picture taken and they like to see it after you take it. after picking up the toothpaste, we stopped by home to pick up abigail who had been babysitting. we went to bink's in downtown franklin to get abigail a kavu bag. she wanted a small flat bag to carry with her. emily also has one. they are cute. i figure i will take a larger bag daily so that i can take the camera and larger items we will need throughout the day...bug spray, sunscreen, snacks. we then went to belk to find some longer skirts for the girls. remember what i have said about the knees of a woman? got some on sale, just a few. i know we will be wearing a lot of things two or three times. this is why that zip loc bag of fresh clothes will be so welcomed! we stopped at border's to get summer reading books for school. we got caitlin and emily some leisure reading books. we then spent over an hour at sears looking at cameras. i have needed a new one for a while. i asked and asked and looked and looked and all three of us took pictures and compared them. poor chris, the salesman. he was kind of cocky in the beginning, not really wanting to talk much. he was set to get off at 7. but by 7:30 when we finally left we had gotten to be buddies. i knew his best friend's name (trevor) and that his favorite show was "the office". i knew his girlfriend was interviewing for a job. (sometimes i know my girls wonder how they are sane living with me. enough said). he had told us how he and another employee, jerry, were enlisting in the army together. so chris, jerry, abigail, julianne and i discussed this and we told them that we appreciated the fact that they will be protecting us and keeping us safe. we were exhausted. what a long day! lastly, we went to p.f. chang's and my fortune said this "your eyes will soon be opened to a world full of beauty, charm and adventure..." i believe so :) i know those sweet children will be full of beauty and charm. oh, but when i got home i checked my email and what popped up but att news saying that british airways has done something pretty dumb. not only have they been on strike, but obviously they had put osama bin laden's name on a fake boarding pass for some reason (advertisement) and it has caused indifference. what the heck? so now is bin laden going to want to retaliate against british airways?? did i mention we are flying BRITISH AIRWAYS? oh gosh. i gotta' go to bed...
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
visions of bed bugs dancing in my head...
measles and mumps and polio oh my...and yellow fever
thursday, may 27...at our last team meeting, stuart informed me that the three of us (emily, abigail and i) may have to get our visas after we get there. what? he said it was no big deal we would just have to be in a different line. it's a common thing to do. but, if we got our yellow fever shot quickly enough he would see what he could do to get it before we leave. so asap we tried to schedule our yellow fever shot. nothing was available until june 2 so we ended up having to go to a place where someone would have to consult us which meant we had to pay a consultation fee along with a hefty amount per shot. we had to first listen to the lady tell us every possible thing that could go wrong and every possible disease that we could contract. the information lists things like parasitic worms and bed bugs. o.k... please just stop. as she talked i sat there wondering about what the girls were thinking because i was thinking "am i crazy to be doing this? what the heck am i doing? oh gosh, i just don't know..." (right here is a good place to interject, once more, that this is totally our of my realm of normalcy and comfort...but that in itself is one reason why we are going). i looked their way and caught their eyes staring at me with a perplexed look as if they wanted me to say "it will be fine. no big deal" but honestly, i was just as perplexed as they were. i did however, manage to say "well, we will handle whatever comes along..." but all the while i had visions of things we were going to have to pack and what on earth would we really be coming into contact with. the lady convinced us that we must get some spray used by the military to thwart off insects (mosquitos, ticks, chiggers, etc.). we will need to spray each side of each clothing item and let it dry then repeat on the other side. after it dries, pack it. also, apparently, there is an outbreak of measles in africa right now. so along with the yellow fever i had to get a measles booster...and polio. the girls were fine because of their normal childhood vaccines. $700 dollars later we left the office...
friday morning, may 28th, another garage sale...
so after spending a small fortune on just shots i thought to open our garage again for two more days to see if we could possibly raise a little bit more and possibly cover the extra shots i had to get. that amount was $198. on thursday, abigail and i went to chris and jeanne's (brother and sister in law) house to get some things they were going to donate. they gave us two small bicycles, books and two unknown (to me) pieces of wood working equipment. well, those were heavy and it was hot that day! we laughed as jeanne, abigail, madilynn (niece) and i loaded those things, and not easily i might add, nor gracefully! i am sure it was a funny sight and then abigail proclaimed that she was "burning up". well, think africa... in june... with no air conditioning. i bet she will rethink nashville hot after she experiences the african heat. guess how much we made in the garage sale? $190 and some change! not even kidding.
saturday afternoon, may 29th
we planned to go to memphis to help surprise my uncle, harvey, for his 80th birthday! we closed the garage sale early, quick changed into different clothes and jumped in the car and headed west. abigail had been feeling a little weird that morning. light headed and her arm where her yellow fever shot was given was swollen and red. she put an ice pack on her arm and took some tylenol. i think that helped. i am amazed at these girls getting strange shots and taking weird medicine to prevent weird things. emily and abigail, both, are a little reserved about what they will do. i will have to say, though, that both have made great strides as far as being a little more adventurous. abigail isn't afraid to fly but emily is. the way emily has forged ahead without really thinking about it, trying not to get all worked up, helps me realize that this is a good thing. while at the table at harvey's party, another uncle, bobby, was talking to me about the trip. he did the usual ribbing that most uncles will do. he teased about past political regimes in uganda, etc. then he got this serious look and said "all foreign countries can be dangerous but the same God that protects you here will protect you there." “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”— Acts 1:8
sunday morning, may 30th
we have to take our typhoid medicine or it won't be in our system long enough. i mean, we leave in 12 days! it is going to be right on the cusp of being too late to be protected. hope we aren't exposed to that before our meds kick in. so before church this morning, abigail and i went to walgreens to get our oral typhoid pills. fyi, we are getting our cipro (antibiotic just in case) at publix FREE. do you all know about that program? up to a 14 day supply of certain antibiotics at publix....free! i spend so much there anyway i feel ok about that. at church, our pastor, mike, told us to do our part and take care of what we can and make a difference when and where we can. i feel the need to lean into our children and feed them with compassion. this trip is all about that. touching a little piece of the world, doing what we can and having two of my girls with me is , again, humbling. that we even get this opportunity is huge to me. mike also said "nothing can undo what we put in our kids' hearts." it's our job to fill their hearts with the good stuff. i want to put compassion in my girls' hearts. they have it but i want them to live it. i can't wait to get there. not ready for the flight yet but just thinking about experiencing a new culture, a new way of life, new people with extraordinary needs in extraordinary conditions is going to make the 35 hours (yikes!) in an airplane tolerable. "what we do for ourselves dies with us. what we do for others and the world remains and is immortal" -albert pine.
thursday, may 27...at our last team meeting, stuart informed me that the three of us (emily, abigail and i) may have to get our visas after we get there. what? he said it was no big deal we would just have to be in a different line. it's a common thing to do. but, if we got our yellow fever shot quickly enough he would see what he could do to get it before we leave. so asap we tried to schedule our yellow fever shot. nothing was available until june 2 so we ended up having to go to a place where someone would have to consult us which meant we had to pay a consultation fee along with a hefty amount per shot. we had to first listen to the lady tell us every possible thing that could go wrong and every possible disease that we could contract. the information lists things like parasitic worms and bed bugs. o.k... please just stop. as she talked i sat there wondering about what the girls were thinking because i was thinking "am i crazy to be doing this? what the heck am i doing? oh gosh, i just don't know..." (right here is a good place to interject, once more, that this is totally our of my realm of normalcy and comfort...but that in itself is one reason why we are going). i looked their way and caught their eyes staring at me with a perplexed look as if they wanted me to say "it will be fine. no big deal" but honestly, i was just as perplexed as they were. i did however, manage to say "well, we will handle whatever comes along..." but all the while i had visions of things we were going to have to pack and what on earth would we really be coming into contact with. the lady convinced us that we must get some spray used by the military to thwart off insects (mosquitos, ticks, chiggers, etc.). we will need to spray each side of each clothing item and let it dry then repeat on the other side. after it dries, pack it. also, apparently, there is an outbreak of measles in africa right now. so along with the yellow fever i had to get a measles booster...and polio. the girls were fine because of their normal childhood vaccines. $700 dollars later we left the office...
friday morning, may 28th, another garage sale...
so after spending a small fortune on just shots i thought to open our garage again for two more days to see if we could possibly raise a little bit more and possibly cover the extra shots i had to get. that amount was $198. on thursday, abigail and i went to chris and jeanne's (brother and sister in law) house to get some things they were going to donate. they gave us two small bicycles, books and two unknown (to me) pieces of wood working equipment. well, those were heavy and it was hot that day! we laughed as jeanne, abigail, madilynn (niece) and i loaded those things, and not easily i might add, nor gracefully! i am sure it was a funny sight and then abigail proclaimed that she was "burning up". well, think africa... in june... with no air conditioning. i bet she will rethink nashville hot after she experiences the african heat. guess how much we made in the garage sale? $190 and some change! not even kidding.
saturday afternoon, may 29th
we planned to go to memphis to help surprise my uncle, harvey, for his 80th birthday! we closed the garage sale early, quick changed into different clothes and jumped in the car and headed west. abigail had been feeling a little weird that morning. light headed and her arm where her yellow fever shot was given was swollen and red. she put an ice pack on her arm and took some tylenol. i think that helped. i am amazed at these girls getting strange shots and taking weird medicine to prevent weird things. emily and abigail, both, are a little reserved about what they will do. i will have to say, though, that both have made great strides as far as being a little more adventurous. abigail isn't afraid to fly but emily is. the way emily has forged ahead without really thinking about it, trying not to get all worked up, helps me realize that this is a good thing. while at the table at harvey's party, another uncle, bobby, was talking to me about the trip. he did the usual ribbing that most uncles will do. he teased about past political regimes in uganda, etc. then he got this serious look and said "all foreign countries can be dangerous but the same God that protects you here will protect you there." “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”— Acts 1:8
sunday morning, may 30th
we have to take our typhoid medicine or it won't be in our system long enough. i mean, we leave in 12 days! it is going to be right on the cusp of being too late to be protected. hope we aren't exposed to that before our meds kick in. so before church this morning, abigail and i went to walgreens to get our oral typhoid pills. fyi, we are getting our cipro (antibiotic just in case) at publix FREE. do you all know about that program? up to a 14 day supply of certain antibiotics at publix....free! i spend so much there anyway i feel ok about that. at church, our pastor, mike, told us to do our part and take care of what we can and make a difference when and where we can. i feel the need to lean into our children and feed them with compassion. this trip is all about that. touching a little piece of the world, doing what we can and having two of my girls with me is , again, humbling. that we even get this opportunity is huge to me. mike also said "nothing can undo what we put in our kids' hearts." it's our job to fill their hearts with the good stuff. i want to put compassion in my girls' hearts. they have it but i want them to live it. i can't wait to get there. not ready for the flight yet but just thinking about experiencing a new culture, a new way of life, new people with extraordinary needs in extraordinary conditions is going to make the 35 hours (yikes!) in an airplane tolerable. "what we do for ourselves dies with us. what we do for others and the world remains and is immortal" -albert pine.
kind acts and words of wisdom...
friday, may 21st, emily and i went to the sweet sleep office to turn in some paperwork and to talk to stuart, the man who knows all. on the way, i called a dear friend, suzanne, to tell her happy birthday and to tell her thank you. she had sent a little something in the mail to go towards our trip. she has been a big supporter of our mission and is planning on going on a sweet sleep trip in the near future (right, sam?). i only hope that i can go with her and experience a life changing trip with a life long friend! over the weekend i received an email from someone else explaining that she also wanted to help with expenses. she wanted me to not pay her back but to pay it forward. i see how God is working through others to allow me and my girls to go on this trip. it is truly humbling. deut 4:9 "be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. teach them to your children and to their children after them."
one day (about a month ago) i was having a day of uncertainty. this was before we had even sent off for our passports or even really thought of the shots and the prescriptions or the mosquitos or the diseases, etc. i had just about decided not to go. i was pushing or forcing this. or was i? later that afternoon my next door neighbor, linda, walked over to give us a check in support of our mission. she began to tell me about a family she knew who went to uganda to work. they were a young couple (scott and emily) with 4 small children (6, 4, 2 and 2 months) who felt led to go. they came home 6 years later with 6 children! they adopted two while they were there. they had recently moved back to "this continent" (per their oldest son) and would be in nashville until june. i felt the need to meet this family and talk to them. i thought it would help the girls, too, to listen and ask questions. so i called them on their cell and we talked for a little while. we arranged for the entire family of 8 to visit. all 8 of them and 6 of us and my mother. mason was working. i asked them to just tell us their story. scott brought in his computer and showed pictures of their time in uganda. he showed us a plate of "normal" food and explained each item on the plate. it was cute as when that picture popped up on the screen one of the glisson girls said "yum" and my girls were probably thinking "huh?". it looked like a plate of different colored piles of mush with a couple of colored vegetables (pumpklin and sweet potato). there was also millet, a corn dish, smashed bananas, rice, beans, goat stomach. goat stomach? a few of us were questioning what we would be eating during our time there as we were not going to be eating goat stomach. the same little girl said, "well you need to try it." we were also told about "g nut butter". "g" is for ground nuts. it is supposedly very good. i am sure g nut butter will be a staple of ours. they were cute, well educated kids who had been raised in uganda. they really knew no different. we talked about that after they left. america to them was "grandma's and disney world". they didn't really know every day living here. what was normal to them was very strange and questionable to us. we asked about clothing customs and it was interesting to hear that our skirts should cover our knees. it was funny hearing the oldest (12) tell us how men working in the fields would take off their shirts but so would the women...but they would never show their knees. if you get my drift, knees to them are like breasts here. i asked them what the locals thought of people like us entering their country. did they see us as friendly or as a threat? they expressed that the african people see us as hope. funny they said that because my friend julie, who travelled to sierra leone, said the same thing, "our faces give them hope". i am going to try to remember these words of wisdom as we travel to this far and away land. they encouraged us to try everything: not only in food but in experience. don't be afraid, be smart but take in what is going on around us. whether it is letting the locals touch our skin and our hair (which they will want to do), white water rafting the nile (class 5 rapids) on our one fun day, getting our de-worming (ugh) medicine at a local pharmacy while there or just taking it all in as we will spend lots of time in traffic (there are no stop signs or traffic lights or road rules...or at least none that are enforced). they said it's crazy but just take it all in. our kids all began to talk and play outside (picture above of all of the kids together) and just bond a bit as we all wanted to hold brooks (the baby) while the others played basketball or skateboarded. it was a good time. thank you glisson family!
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