One Week

We leave for Russia in exactly one week!  

My emotions are all over the place.  I am so excited that this trip draws nearer and terrified at the same time.  Before anyone asks, what are you terrified of, or why, there is nothing specific.  This is a big journey for me beyond the flights to/from Russia.  This will be the longest time I have been away from my husband and kids ever.  

However, anytime the fear creeps in I remind myself that God is faithful and walks beside us.  I think of my favorite bible verse Romans 8:28, that God works in all things for the good of those who love him according to his purpose.  And I am quite certain that this trip is according to his purpose and that God will work in us, through us, and most likely at some point in spite of us.  I am also reminded of Matthew 28:19-20 - "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."  The two key messages from this that I hold onto as we make this trip are "Therefore go...and teach" and "I am with you always."  Ok, maybe that's three key messages.  Go, Teach, and God is with you.  So simple yet so powerful.  

We got home yesterday from a trip down to Houston to visit my family, and before I had even finished unpacking from that trip I started packing for Russia.  My big suitcase and backpack are out and as I think of things that I will not need at home before we leave I put it in the suitcase.  A sweet friend of ours let me borrow the backpack and I LOVE it, I may never give it back.  It holds way more than it looks like it would and that is a very good thing considering the length of this trip. 

As always, thank you for your prayers.  Please continue to pray for our team as we finalize our preparations.  Pray that we will find ways to keep our anxieties to a minimum, that we will remember to pack everything that is critical, that we will get good rest in these last few days leading up to our trip, that we will do everything we can to make this time a way easier on our families, that we will be able to wrap things up at our jobs to be gone for 2 1/2 weeks, that we ALWAYS remember who is in control, and anything else the Holy Spirit puts on your heart.  Thank you.



"Life is a journey, not a destination."
~Ralph Waldo Emmerson