weekend update

This was quite an eventful weekend in the world of Africa adventure preparation. First, there was a pleasantly successful yard sale that raised about enough money to cover my very expensive avoid-yucky-diseases shots and that had a small enough amount of leftovers that we only needed one trip to Goodwill. Thanks so much to everyone who donated items for the sale!!

Second, I pushed up my sleeves and offered up my arms to the needles for my second round of Africa immunizations. In two weeks I'll be able to laugh in the face of such dread diseases as meningitis and yellow fever and typhoid.

Third, my generous parents and some equally generous friends helped me move round 1 of my belongings into storage. I never begin packing and moving this far in advance of my moving date, so that tells you how excited I am about going to Africa. ;-)

Fourth, I talked by phone and email with some of the folks I'm setting up Africa work with and managed to hammer out another round of details.

Fifth, my great church, Grace Community Church, "prayed me off" on Sunday during the morning service and then later a group of folks who meet to pray for missions activities also prayed for and with me. As my departure date nears, I've been confronted anew by the essential nature of having folks praying with and for me. And, I'm not just "doing the Christian thing" and paying lip service to prayer. It's really true. This whole undertaking is bigger than I am, and the only way it's going to work is if others help me hold it all before God in prayer.

Finally, I also had some yard sale helpers who posed as shoppers for my trusty little camera, so that you can feel like you, too, were part of the Africa yard sale:

Amazingly the entertainment center and the couch didn't sell until the last 15 minutes or so of the sale!

Everyone can use a "new" coffeemaker! Why check the directions?

My dad displayed the merchandise while offering peanut gallery comments to entice the customers to purchase our wares.