A Week Away

Well, it's a week to go before we leave Madison to head to Charlotte for orientation and then it's off to Nigeria! We're very excited. The UW InterVarsity Graduate Christian Fellowship that we're a part of gave us an opportunity to share with them at the last large group meeting about what we've learned during our time in Madison and how that impacted our decision to head off on this trip. We're in the process of getting everything together to be packed up before we go, trying to decide what type of food we want to bring with us that may not be easy to get while we're there. In particular, we've been getting herbs and spices that aren't easy to come by in Africa.

Barbara's trying to figure out what medical books she wants to bring with her, but the hardest part for her has been trying to decide what "fun" books she wants to take. She reads a LOT, and that's one of the key ways in which she relaxes, so she's hoping to take some that can keep her entertained for a little while if we need a break from being in a different place. I suspect the hardest part will come after the first week or two, when we've had a chance to settle in and culture shock starts to hit us a little. We're excited, but we also realize that we'll be in a very different place than any we've ever been in. It'll be a challenge to get used to being so far from our friends and family.

One Month Before Departure!

Well, we're a month away from heading off, now, and things are really picking up in terms of getting everything ready. Barbara's finished getting the rest of her immunizations that she needs before heading off. I still need to get some of mine. We still have support letters coming in, so if you haven't yet responded and are planning on doing so, please do so soon! We greatly appreciate all the folks who will be praying for us while we're away.

One of the things that has surprised and encouraged us is the amount of encouragement I've recieved from the folks at my current job who've now learned more details of what we'll be doing while we're in Nigeria. Barbara's found that many of her colleagues in Med School have supported her, but there's an element of expectation that many of the med students will go on trips like this. For my co-workers, that's clearly not the case. Many have expressed their excitement that I'll be working with ECWA Camp Youth Alive and it's really made my decision to take these two months feel like the right thing. I have a ton to do at the office to prepare folks to take over for me when I leave, but I'm confident that this will work out well and that God is in control of the situation.