Preparation

Secondment signed - check 

Insurance figured out - check 

Immunizations - check 

Shopping - check

Banking info figured out - Next week 

Spanish study - coming along 

Excitement - keeps growing!

Departure date - pending; maybe can go early!!!

Plane ticket - yet needs to be purchased....soon!

Packing - started, probably started too soon

Saying goodbye to friends - slowly and sadly 

Mentally ready to go - a long time ago

Prayer: I need to figure out the departure date yet......Pray for me as I may have an opportunity to go down early to help with another ministry. Many details still need to be worked out, and (from my perspective) plane ticket needs to be bought soon!

Even if I can't go down early, it is 28 days away!

As a prayer from St. Francis of Assisi reminds us, God goes before me...and behind me, above me, around me. 

Prayer from Thomas Merton

My Lord God, I have no idea where I'm going. 

I do not see the road ahead of me. 

I cannot know for certain where it will end. 

Nor do I really know myself

and the fact that I think that I am following you 

does not mean I am actually doing so. 

But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. 

And I hope that I have that desire in all I am doing. 

I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. 

And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road

though I may know nothing about it. 

Therefore, I will trust you always 

though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. 

I will not fear, for you are ever with me, 

and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.