Thoughts Before Leaving

We have spent the last month waiting on visa's, visiting family, celebrating the holidays (holy days) and wrestling with getting ride of the accumulation of a life time. We are not shedding all that own as some do. I marveled at the person who came to discernment having given away all of their possessions. Confident in the fact that they would be going on mission with one or another mission agency. We know that we will be returning. We have only been asked to labor in the vineyard for a short time; so to speak. It is easy to say that we won't need this or that for the next three years. Much harder to say I haven't needed it for a while now and can't imagine needing it in the future. Our families are resigned to the fact that we are going. Some rejoice with us at the thought of all the new experiences. Others morn the period that we will be unavailable to them.

We are off to zambia on the eighth of February. We can hardly contain ourselves. We are counting down the days till we are there. Thinking about what we will do when we get there. We have been asked repeatedly what will we do wonce we are there? A Ministry of Presence is not very satisfing answer. It appears the people we met want numbers of pagan babies converted or good deeds performed like wells dug, churches built.