Spreadin' the news.

A week from now, I'll be writing from New York, New York. (Two weeks from now is my 23rd birthday, but that's not what this post is about. Probably. I've only just started typing.)

We will arrive at Grabill Missionary Church at 10:00 on Friday night, say good-bye to our families, meet for about an hour to talk about last-minute details and pray together, and head to Waterloo, IN to hop on a train. We'll be on the train for about sixteen hours, across Ohio, through Erie, PA, across New York and Massachusetts, and into Penn Station around 6:30 Saturday evening. (Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited, in case you were wondering.)
Edit: The route actually splits in Albany. We will not be traveling through Massachusetts. Obviously, I'm VERY good at geography.

We'll spend the week partnering with ministries that just need a little encouragement. We're not there to take over, to change routines, to overhaul what's already happening. We're there to show and be shown that the Body of Christ is a worldwide network of brothers and sisters who support, pray for, love, and care about each other. We're there so that our students can build relationships with kids just like them who live in a city where 3% of the population identifies as "Evangelical Christian." We're there to share burdens. We're there to participate in what God is doing in the city.

And I am PUMPED!!

Sure, there are things about the trip that are not going to be what I signed up for. I learned that very quickly, went through a few weeks of being disappointed, and got over it. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

I've been thinking about packing today. We had a meeting after church that lasted until 4:30. We met with our various groups (Travel Groups, Ministry Groups, Small Groups), we Skyped with Jeff Getz from NewYorkIsCalling, we practiced getting on and off subway cars, we prayed, we laughed, and we started to realize that this trip is happening next week. I realized that I should probably start thinking seriously about what I'm going to take. I bought a new back pack a couple weeks ago. After lugging a suitcase around Great Britain and Czech Republic, I decided that several days of subway travel, two long train rides, and lots of walking and climbing stairs would be easier with a back I can strap to my back and mostly forget about. (Valuable items will be close to my body and not in easily accessible outside pockets. I'm not stupid.) I'm packing light when it comes to most of my clothing (Undergarments are the exception. Always pack more than you think you will need.), toiletries, and other personal items. I'll have a variety of personal care items (feminine products for the ridiculous number of girls on this trip, antacids, bandages, melatonin supplements, extra toothbrushes, etc.), and plenty of snacks for the inevitable late-night hunger attack (Dad, do you have any VIA I can take?). And, of course, I'll have a Bible, journal, and book for the reading that accompanies the late-night hunger attack (Till We Have Faces, by C.S. Lewis.). I'm leaving enough room for a few souvenirs/gifts/bagels. Mostly, I'm challenging myself to only take what I'm going to use between Friday night and Friday morning. I've never really been able to pack that way, but I'm determined to be successful for this trip.

Whew. That was a big block of text. I don't do that often.

This week:

• Reading Acts: Kelley asked us to start at chapter 13 and read a chapter each day. (Paul's missionary journeys.) I'm going to try to read the whole book. I've done it before. I'm pretty sure I can get through 28 chapters in a week.
• Packing: This will require lists and repetition and lots of double checking. These are things I genuinely enjoy doing.
• Spending time with friends and family: I am starting to connect to a wonderful group of people. Hanging out with them for the past two months has pretty much changed my life. I enjoy things now. I don't hate my job. I talk to people who are my age. It's a pretty amazing thing.
• Cleaning: My room is a disaster area right now, and I just haven't really done anything about it. I don't want to leave it this way.
• Preparing in every way I know how: I'll be trying to sleep as much as I can, adding a few squats to my daily non-workout, and being more careful about what I consume. I'll be reading Acts, praying more intentionally, and seeking the Holy Spirit's guidance and protection. I'll look at various maps of the city to try to figure out where we'll be going when we get there.

I'm so excited for this trip. I'm excited to see our students experience the city. I'm excited to meet Jeff and Christina and their kids. I'm excited to meet the people we're going to be working with. I'm excited to spend time getting to know the students and adults I'm traveling with. I'm excited to see everything that God is going to do in us and through us and around us while we're there.

I'll be writing throughout the week while we're there, but probably not here.

Please pray for us.