I can hardly believe this trip is two weeks away! May I just say, I have been blown away by all of you. I am so incredibly humbled by the outpouring of support. Just a few short weeks ago I was in full blown pre-mission trip, pregnancy hormones, melt-down mode. I could not see how I would possibly raise the money in time. I was feeling defeated. Just a day or two after Zach and I made a plan for making the final payment, donations came pouring in. Isn’t that just like God’s right on time, down to the wire timing? I was fully funded in a matter of days. You would think that when time after time God has provided, I would stop doubting. Yet, I seem to always find myself relating to Peter. I am so eager to step out on the water with Christ, but once I see the waves, I start to sink. I am thankful though that despite my many faults, God never gives up on me and continues to offer opportunities for me to step out on the water.

So in two weeks, Nora and I will be getting on a plane to Africa! Can I ask you to pray for our team as we travel? Anyone who has flown much knows it’s a great time to work on strengthening your patience!  On 12/28 at 5:45 am I will be flying out of Indianapolis headed to Washington D.C. I’ll join up with the rest of the team then. We’ll hop on the plane for Uganda at 10:15 am. We’ll land in Ethiopia about 13.5 hours later for a quick 2 hour layover before getting on the plane for the last 2 hour flight to Uganda. Once we arrive in Uganda, we will hit the ground running until we fly home on January 6th. Please pray for strength and flexibility for all of us!

Our time will be packed full while we’re there. One fun thing we have planned is to do a photo booth with the kids! We have a couple of cameras we’re taking, along with some crazy props. Many of the kids have not seen a picture of themselves and most certainly don’t own a picture of themselves. One of the greatest gifts we can give, is an opportunity for kids to be kids and have fun! If you’d like to help us purchase film, it is available for purchase on Amazon here.

Another project I am so incredibly excited for involves us partnering with an organization called Days for Girls. We will be giving washable feminine hygiene kits to girls and educating them on how to use it. This is huge! If a family is choosing between food and feminine hygiene products, what would your choice be? Not having sanitary supplies means days without school, income, or leaving the house. According to Days for Girls, girls use leaves, mattress stuffing, newspaper, corn husks, rocks, anything they can find…but still miss up to 2 months of school every year. These kits help to change that.

We are taking baby supplies (formula, child tylenol, etc.) and school supplies (pens, notebooks, etc.) with us. For those of you have donated these items, THANK YOU!! You are amazing! I can’t wait to stuff my bag with all of your goodies. Trickiest thing is getting all of this to fit in my one 50 pound suitcase!

As far as pregnancy goes, I’m feeling great! Mentally, I had prepared to be giant and miserable by the time we left for Uganda, that way I would be pleasantly surprised if I wasn’t! I am not feeling giant or miserable. Besides typical pregnancy symptoms, I feel really good. I know that I will feel physically challenged at times and the plane ride will be far from comfortable, but really when does a flight that long ever feel comfortable?

As my team and I are preparing our hearts, please keep us in your prayers. I can’t wait to share all of the amazing God stories that are to come. We’ll be on our way soon!