Mommy!! I CAN'T SLEEP!

7:24pm - that is what time my computer says on the "clock display".  I'm sitting in my hotel in Johannesburg reflecting on our trip so far... and I'm reminded of a book I read my children when they were young. It was about a mother bunny who got NO sleep as her little bunnies would shout out "MOMMY, I CAN'T SLEEP!"

7:24pm - Central Standard Time.  That means it is 2:24am here in Africa, and "mommy, I can't sleep."  Went to bed at 9pm local, and I've been up since midnight.  I'm anxious, nervous and excited. This Malawi trip is always transformational, and I can't wait to see what God has in store for our team.

So, I've been using this time (that my body doesn't think is night-time...grrr) to pray for my family and friends, and to do homework for seminary!!

Why not update the blog as well??!!  Here's a short reflection on our travels so far.

What a great sendoff at the DSM airport.  Thank you so much to all of the people who came out to support and pray for us.  Our first flight to Atlanta was altogether uneventful.  Our team had a few moments to chat in the airport, and it was great to let loose a little bit and enjoy each other's company.  Once we got to Atlanta, we made our way from one side of the airport to the other and prepared for our flight.  I think the team got tired of me saying things like "can you believe this flight will last almost an ENTIRE DAY with the time change?"  I can't lie, the travel portion of this trip can be brutal, but our flight was great.  I was nervous about the 16+ hr flight, but it went even better than on my last trip to Malawi.  We had a few laughs on the plane, ate about an entire loaf of bread with our inflight meals, and a few of us got some sleep.  More to come about our Johannesburg Airport experience in a later post...

BUT THESE AREN'T THE THINGS YOU WANT TO HEAR ABOUT?!?!  GIVE US MALAWI STUFF PASTOR JOHN!!!  

True, this isn't a blog post about the amazing work being done with God's help in Malawi. But every trip, every blessing, every mission trip has preparation.  Pastor Angie prepared our hearts to LISTEN for God's voice in our opening devotions together.  Kathy led us in our second devotion about how small trials can prepare us for righteousness.  Preparing is essential - and including God is necessary.

My encouragement for you today is to FIND some time to prepare.  Read a devotion, say a prayer for your neighbor, invite the holy spirit to guide you during your day.  Oh yeah, and if you can, get some sleep.

I promise my next blog post will be more exciting and less sleep deprived!!  MAY GOD BLESS YOU!!