list of things

As I look forward to beginning the trip home tomorrow, I decided a list was in order. I also decided that you might appreciate some reading material to peruse while I'm making my way back across the ocean. And then I decided that I should be able to read a lot of books during 19 hours of flying, so I'd better pack my carry-on full of them. Additionally, I decided that carrying the books with me might help my luggage pass the weight limit. After that I decided that, while I could keeping deciding for a very long time, I should probably get on with the promised list.

Things I'm looking forward to:

• doing less math (what do I have to divide by to figure out what this really costs?)
• cereal - the sugary kind!
• driving myself places
• using a flat iron/hair straightener now and then
• buying my own groceries (i.e. cereal!)
• being on my own schedule
• long phone conversations
• winter
• wearing different clothes
• taking naps whenever I want to
• my teddy bear (hmm, am I serious or not about this one?)

Things that might take time to readjust to:

• getting into the correct side of the car
• hearing only American accents
• "normal life" (whatever that is ;-) )
• knowing when and where I'll have internet access
• not prefacing all plans with the words "probably" or "I'll try to" or "I'll make every effort to...depending on whether I have internet access, electricity, and a way to get there."
• always having a washcloth

Things that make me nervous:

• not knowing what's next
• the chance of forgetting important moments from the past four months
• all the work I still have to finish :-)

Things that make me excited:

• not knowing what's next
• worshiping at my church in Nashville again (www.gccnashville.org)
• returning home during Advent
• giving Africa presents to my family

Things I'll miss:

• having to go with the flow
• the tea culture
• the accents and language games
• geckos (they're really cute!)
• traveling
• my suitcases (I'm kidding!)
• my South Africa cousins and other new friends

Things I won't miss:

• having to go with the flow
• not knowing what you're going to get when you ask to use the bathroom
• only being able to get Coke instead of Pepsi
• doxycycline
• trying to decide when to "when in Africa, do as the Africans" and when to just keep being what I am
• sleeping on a different bed every two nights

i've got tickets!

Here's my official itinerary!

July 27: leave Nashville
July 28-August 12: Ghana
August 13-September 14: Kenya
September 14-October 14: Uganda
October 14-28: Zimbabwe (this is where I'll celebrate my birthday! :-) )
October 28-December 1: South Africa
December 2: arrive back in Nashville

The tickets ended up costing more than the max we were hoping for, though they're still very reasonable for all that crazy traveling. However, this raises the stakes for supporting raising. It will be fun to celebrate when all the funding comes in.

the plan, as it currently stands

Time for the grand unveiling! There are many, many details still to be filled in, but here is the basic outline. I imagine that some details will only fall into place once I'm on the ground in Africa, so I probably won't know what all I'll be doing until I get back and can tell about what I did. But, then, that's how life really is anyway; we just pretend that we can plan it. :-)

I'll be leaving Nashville on July 27 or 28 and returning at the very end of November or very beginning of December. I'm working on finalizing my plane tickets and will post the exact dates when I have them.

1. Two weeks in Ghana with the Joseph Alliance, an organization that encourages African Americans to be involved in missions. I've been doing some publicity work for them since last fall, so I'm excited to be part of this missions trip with them. We'll also be participating in Ghana's 50th anniversary celebration of their independence and 200th anniversary celebration of the end of the slave trade. AND a bonus is that it looks like my sister Erin will be joining the group for 1 week of their mission trip!! yippee!
2. Approximately 5 weeks in Kenya, connecting with old family friends Andy and Jodi Keller, missionary pilots serving with AIM, and partnering with some still-to-be determined organizations.
3. Approximately 4 weeks in Uganda, connecting with Pam and Simon Wunderli, missionary pilots with MAF, and working with some other organizations that are yet-to-be-nailed-down.
4. Approximately 2 weeks in Zimbabwe, primarily working with Africa University, a private, Pan-African and United Methodist-related university.
5. Approximately 5 weeks in South Africa, doing some writing work for Africa Upper Room Ministries and possibly some other organizations; connecting with some of my South African relatives (my Grandpa Rice grew up here; one of his brothers stayed in South Africa, so some of my dad's first cousins are South African, and I've never met most of them); and wrapping up the four months with some retreat time somewhere in South Africa.

In order to complete this undertaking, I'm going to need your help. This isn't a one woman show. It's a group effort.

I'll need people to be praying with me along the way. See the prayer requests I've posted in the column on the right of this page to get started. If you'd like to be part of my core prayer team, email me (khakiface(at)yahoo.com). My goal is to send out a little prayer update message to the prayer team every week or every other week. So, let me know if you'd like to be added to the list.

I'll also need folks to join my financial support team. Since I'll be working in Africa with non-profit organizations who are themselves dependent on donations, I'm raising my own financial support in order to make this trip possible and donate my time to these organizations. New Hope International Ministries, a small missions organization that specializes in short-term trips and in "loaning" folks out to other mission organizations, will be overseeing my trip. It's been a big item of praise to get to be connected to them and the resources they've offered my way. New Hope is connected with Asbury College, my alma mater, and is helping coordinate all of my travel arrangements and my support raising.

I'm still working on finalizing the budget for this trip. With so many facets to the trip, exact numbers are difficult to nail down. My current fundraising goal is $10,000. I'll be making every effort to keep expenses as low as possible. My hope is that funds from your donations will be left over after my expenses are covered. While I'm in Africa, I'll be praying as I meet people, watching and listening for the best way to pass on some of what you've donated for this trip. With any leftover funds, I'd love to, say, buy a sewing machine for a woman who will use it to start a business or do something similarly sustainable for/with other people I meet. Additionally, leftover funds can be passed on to organizations I connect with while I'm in Africa or to African churches I interact with.

So, if you'd like to join my financial support team, please email me (khakiface(at)yahoo.com), and I'll get more info to you. You can also check out New Hope's address in the column to the right. And don't be shy...you're welcome to be part of both teams, prayer and financial...the more the merrier for sure! :-)

Thanks, friends, for joining me in this journey. I'm eager to see how God works through all of us and to discover what He wants us all to learn through being part of this together.