From Spain!

Greetings from the beautiful Mediterranean!  Spain is absolutely lovely, and I'm loving watching God work in this country, at the All-Africa Forum, and in the hearts of the children of the people He has called into His service. 

The first 8 members of our team arrived at our hotel, the Hotel Gran Cervantes, at about 2:30 last Friday after 11 long but uneventful hours of flying.  We were scheduled to do childcare from 6-7:30 that evening but ended up having the rest of the time to ourselves as one of the missionaries' flight from Casablanca was delayed 11 hours.  We were pretty grateful for the chance to rest as none of us slept very much on any of the planes. So we had a nice relaxing evening - unpacking, exploring Torremolinos, and eating dinner.

Saturday and Sunday flew by as we cared for the first 10 preschoolers.  On Monday the rest of the team joined us, and I began my official duties watching the one-year-olds.  There are 7 of them altogether, and Nicole, Gloria, and I have had a great time playing with them and getting to know them and their families.

Believe it or not, it's almost time for me to come home again!  My time here has absolutely flown by, and we leave Saturday morning to return to the States.  Please keep these things in your prayers over the next couple of days:

-Please pray that sickness will not be an issue for the remainder of the trip.  Many of the children came with colds, and most of the team members have caught (or brought!) sore throats, headaches, runny noses, and coughs.  We were all pretty run down today, but we still need lots more energy in order to finish up our tasks this evening and tomorrow morning.  Thank you for finishing this race with us!

-Please also pray for a safe day of flying on Saturday.  We were blessed with smooth travels on the way and we hope to leave in the same way!  We leave at 9 Saturday morning (that's 3 am Ohio time) and come into Columbus at 8:30 in the evening.

Again, thank you for your prayers.  See you all soon!

I love you, tomorrow!

Odd as it is to say, tomorrow is, in fact, the day I leave for Spain. 

Not that I'm not ready - I definitely am!

It's just so surreal to say, "Oh, you know, I'm leaving tomorrow . . . " when so much of my energy for the past several months has been focused on preparation for this trip.

It's pretty incredible, to say the least. :)

As I tidy up my bedroom (finally!), finish my errands, and put my life in order, I'd like to share with you the things I'm praying for this trip.  If you would, please pray with me:

-that we'd get through security efficiently and that our flights would be safe (and on time!).

-that those of us going early to the Forum would have plenty of energy.  The first couple of days will be long - and, taking jet lag and everything into account, we're going to need some extra Help!

-that my mouth would finish healing properly and not develop any complications.

Again, please don't text or call me after 6 pm tomorrow - but feel free to email or Facebook me!  I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Thank you all so much for your prayers and encouragement.  God has spoken to me through many of you, and I am so humbled by His (your) care. 

I'll talk to you in Spain!

Less than one week to departure!!

In six days I'll be boarding the big metal bird, bound for Malaga, Spain.  Yes, that's right - six days!!  My bedroom is a disaster area while I decide what to take with me. :3  I also met with my preschool team leader yesterday.  She's planned all the lessons for the trip and has to take all of the supplies we'll need over the course of the week.  I offered to take some of the supplies in my suitcase, so we met yesterday to swap those and touch base on some of the plans for Forum.  Please pray that the whole team will remain energetic and positive, sensitive to each others' needs and to the needs of the children.

I also had my wisdom teeth removed this morning.  Surgery went pretty well...the surgeon said the teeth were a little more difficult to remove than he expected but I'm not bleeding very much at all.  I'm taking the painkillers and antibiotics - I didn't want to but I want to do everything I can to make sure I won't have any complications in Spain.  Please pray that everything heals quickly and properly so that I can finish preparing for the trip in a timely manner and not have to deal with any problems while I'm out of the country.  

I would also ask that no one texts or calls me after 4:00 next Thursday.  I won't be using my phone in Spain, and I don't want to run the risk of racking up any innecessary charges.  However, I will have periodic access to the Internet for anyone who wants to email, Facebook, or Skype. :)