Back in April, I mentioned this tiny little detail in my life. I was going to Africa with Will on a mission trip (https://melodyreid.com/2015/04/11/god-just-dont-…o-go-to-africa/ )‎So now it’s July and we leave on Sunday. Packing and prepping is underway at the Reid house. On so many levels! We each are taking a carry-on suitcase and backpack on the plane. Thankfully, Delta allows you to check two, 50 pound bags for FREE to Johannesburg, which is a good thing, because what wasn’t shipped over months ago in a container is being carried over with our team in large suitcases. Several of them.

You’re looking at 200 lbs of footballs, soccer balls, volleyballs, frisbees, craft supplies, beads, paint, peanut butter and jelly, pens, paper, portable printers and photo paper. Inside that huge black bag is another black duffel bag that we’re taking to a close friend of my sister-in-law’s for his daughter, who is away at boarding school and needs some supplies for her dorm room.

The picture at the top of the post is of my piles that I’m hoping to pack.  Since I took that picture, I’ve taken out some of the individual peanut butters and added Pedialyte mix-ins and pouches of applesauce. (Thanks to my friend Lyn!) If you are on this team with me and you get sick, I’ve got you covered. My kind doctor has prescribed pretty much anything I’ve asked for that would cover any scenario in which I get sick. It’s not like I’m paranoid or anything, but I have worried about getting sick in a place with little or no access to medical care. If I sound high maintenance, it’s probably because I am. I live three miles from an excellent urgent care facility and 10 miles from a great hospital. My pharmacy is inside the grocery store I routinely shop in, and they’re open on Sundays. If I get sick while I’m out of town, my pharmacy can transfer prescriptions from one location to another. My daughter and her husband are both pharmacists and are basically available 24/7 to answer my medical questions. I’m sure they are happy about that!

I am comforted by my proximity to good medical care.

I’m getting on a plane Sunday and traveling further than I’ve ever flown before. Will says it’s 17 hours over and closer to 18 coming home. Something about tailwinds that I don’t understand. Once we get to Johannesburg we’re going to do a two day safari in Kruger National Park before flying out to Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. When we arrive in Lilongwe, it’s an 8 hour drive to our final destination of Chitipa. At the end of the trip we’ll do it all in reverse. Ya’ll, I don’t even have words for this. Please pray for me! I don’t like airplanes, airline food, large public places or any place I can’t get out or off of. I’m a travel wuss. Please pray that I will be patient and kind, slow to speak and slow to anger. Pray I’ll be able to sleep on the plane and not have a panic attack when I start thinking of how far away from the rest of my people I’m going to be.

I’m not going to post anything from Africa while I’m gone. I really want to try to be present in the experience and not try to be capturing every thought on paper and in pictures. That will be hard for me, no doubt. I have asked a few friends to write blog posts for me while I’m gone, and I know you will enjoy their writing  immensely. When I get home, I’m sure I’ll be writing about the trip and what all God does and how He shows up at youth camp this year.

Thank you for your prayers!