In the past few weeks I've learned that no matter how excited you are to go to a particular place, it doesn't make it any easier to say goodbye to those you are leaving behind. I've learned that going means leaving.

I arrived in Pearl River, NY Tuesday afternoon. We've spent the last day or so going through paperwork and last-minute instructions. There are 15 of us flying out at 6:30 this evening. We'll land in London around 6am and then be in Kenya by tomorrow night. WOW! It's been a joy getting to know these others and hear stories of how God has called them to Africa. There are 4 of us single ladies and 3 married couples with 5 children between them. The picture below showcases the 43 pieces of luggage between all of us! :) I won the award for lightest packer. I fit everything in two bags with a few pounds to spare and my carry-on pieces. The past 48 hours haven't been super busy (quite a contrast to running around in Maryville the beginning of this week!) A few of us even went to the local mall and Target to pick up some extra items. We had a mini-adventure walking around a cemetery tracking a mysterious animal. We were convinced it was either an otter or a beaver. Turned out it was a groundhog. Quite a few groundhogs actually. I can't imagine all the animals I will encounter in Africa. Some mysterious, some majestic. And some... well... apparently the mopane worm is a delicacy in Namibia. Yum.

I'll close with one revision to information I gave everyone before I left. The city I will be serving in (Windhoek) is pronounced differently than I assumed. I know it's so surprising that an East Tennessean would mispronounce anything! ;) The proper pronunciation is ˈvɪnthʊk or 'vind-hook. If you want, you can go to the following link to hear the proper pronunciation. For those of you who've struggled with "Namibia" you can type that in and practice. :) I'm sure I'll be mentioning many other crazy words and locations in the next couple years. So keep the link handy! http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=windhoek

We're packing up now to head out. Thanks again and always for all your prayers and support! There may be some of you to whom I haven't sent a personal thank you card for your support. I apologize for running out of time for that, but you have been such a blessing and I couldn't do what God has set before me without your help!

One last piece of information... I will have limited to no internet access during the next three weeks in Kenya. I'll look forward to getting back to regular communication with everyone once I arrive in Namibia the last week in July.

Pray for safe travels, for sanity among the parents traveling with children, for no lost luggage, and for energy and retentive minds during Africa Based Orientation (ABO).