We are four short days away from being on a plane to Africa!  It is hard to believe that at this time next week, we will be in Nairobi.  Our bags are not yet packed, but we have organized chaos (i.e., a pile of clothing and other sundry items in our closet) waiting to be packed.  Perhaps the physical act of packing will make it seem more real to me.  Or maybe I have to actually be at the airport, waiting to board the first eight-hour flight that takes us to Amsterdam, then another eight-hour flight to Nairobi.  Today is the first day that I have felt real anxiety about our travel in getting there.  Thoughts are running through my head like– will we miss our connecting flight in Detroit and then have to wait another day to leave the States?  Will our luggage make it all the way to Nairobi to arrive when we do?  Will we both feel well physically after traveling for 19 hours (or perhaps more if we miss a flight)?  What was it I said in my last post about trusting God?!

My anxiety about the actual travel is eclipsed by an undercurrent of excitement and anticipation about what we will do and experience while there and the new friends we will make.  I can hardly contain my excitement for Giles to experience Africa for the first time.  For him to be immersed in the simultaneous beauty and heartbreak that typifies Mathare Valley.  To witness his emotions and reactions and feel them deep within me at the same time. I am especially excited for him to meet our sponsored child, Doreen, for the first time.  (I memorized the word for “husband”– “mume”– in Swahili for just that occasion.)  I want to tell her how excited I was to return in order to see her again and to bring my husband with me to meet her and see where she lives.  I hope that this time, she will respond with more than just a shy smile, that she will feel more comfortable around us and share a few words of English that she has learned this past year.

Giles and I continue to pray for an openness of spirit as we try to embrace and savor each moment, wherever this path may lead us.  The passage that comes to mind tonight is Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  I once read that the word “guard” in the preceding verse is the same word as “fortress.”  I already feel the strong walls of protection and peace that God has built around us as we walk with Him where He is leading.  I am confident that He has many things to show and teach us through this trip.  I praise Him for answering my prayer to return to Africa with my husband.  It humbles me to think that He would so graciously delight me in this way, while at the same time inviting us to be part of what He is doing among His people in the slums of Nairobi.

This may be my last post before our feet are on African soil.  I will try to post a few thoughts (and perhaps pictures) along the way, Internet connections permitting.  Until then, kwaheri (good-bye) and asante sana (thank you very much) for your prayers over us in the coming weeks.