I thought I’d post the route that we will be taking on this mission trip. I’ve got the countries memorized, but even for me the order gets a little fuzzy in the middle. We’ll leave (hopefully for me from a city on the west coast, but we haven’t been told yet) the United States and head to the Philippines first. The route in full is as follows:
September – Philippines
October – Closed Country
November – South Africa
December – Mozambique
January – Swaziland
February – Bulgaria
March – Not yet determined eastern European Country
April – Serbia
May – Nicaragua
June – Honduras/El Salvador
July – Guatemala
Things I don’t know include what exactly we’ll be doing, what city or even area of the country we will be in, what exactly my living quarters will look like, and what a typical day for me looks like, and who is on my team.
What I do know is that we’ll be partnering with local ministries and meeting up with a contact when we get in country. I’ll be on a smaller team of 6-7 people from my larger “squad” of around 65 people. We’ll exercise, eat, and pray and head out together to the location where we will be serving that day. We’ll form relationships, sometimes do physical labor, and serve where God calls us. We’ll experience His love first hand in a way that we never have before. Sometimes, 30 or 40 of us may be sleeping in one house. We’ll all bring sleeping bags, mats, and tents with us as well as our packs full of clothes, medicine, and some comforts from home for when we just need to feel normal. Maybe a favorite pair of jeans, a hooded sweatshirt, or nail polish. Because there is so much I don’t know, some days I grasp for some information. Being the nerd that I am, I looked up the climate in each of the countries during the month that we will be serving there. It seems the whole eastern European winter experience may cause some packing challenges. I’m hoping to most pack for the other countries and pick up some of what I need along the way. I’m sure things will get worn out from hand washing and left behind as I go as well. I’m excited for training camp in Tennessee in a few weeks. I’ll get to meet my squadmates in person and start a bond that will hopefully last a lifetime! My pack sits in the corner of my room and I’ve been trying to slowly gather all that I need for training camp and this 11 month mission. I’m still short a few things, but it’s coming along nicely. Another thing sticks out for me when looking at the route is that I turn 30 next year in Guatemala! How exciting!! I can’t think of a better way to celebrate!
