First Real Post

I suppose as the leader of this trip, it's my duty to make the first post. Hopefully by the end of the trip, there will be a good number of the team that has contributed. Let me go ahead and start this off by saying that I'm pretty sure every emotion possible is going/has gone through me regarding this team and this trip. Excited, scared, humbled, proud, overwhelmed, blessed with grace. You name it, I'm feeling it. Thankfully, I know that God has each one of us here for His purposes, so when my emotions are going haywire, I rest on that.

We're now 2 meetings into the preparation for our departure on April 21st, and it feels like we're full steam ahead. The team seems to be clicking nicely (it helps that half of the team is all in the same small group) which is something that I'm so thankful for. I'm also incredibly thankful for Ben and Sherry Barnett. Sherry has pretty much taken on the medical supply side of our trip, the part of the trip that I'd be weakest at. Ben has been incredibly helpful with adding insight and wisdom from his various travels. Though they are not going overseas with us, they are a huge part of our team.

As part of the preparation for the trip, we've been going through the Missional Living Handbook that the church has written up. We're kind of the guinea pig to it, so it's cool to take it for a test run. I'll be the first to admit that I hate workbooks, but the way that this workbook is put together and how it really leads to great discussion has helped make it less of an annoyance and more of a tool. So far, we've only gone through one lesson, but it is foundational to our mission, not as a trip, but as believers in Christ. We had hearty discussion over how our lives are not compartmentalized into church, work, missions, hobbies, etc. Rather, our lives ARE missions. Our trip to Ethiopia isn't an experience, or just a trip. It's an outpouring of our faith to bring the Gospel to all corners of the earth and to assist those that are there doing so. We go to empower, not to just experience. I don't think this was new to anyone, but it was great to just be able to flush it out. I'm excited to see what comes with the rest of the lessons.

I could ramble on for a while, but I'll end with some things that you could pray for for our team:

• Schedules - It seems that we might not have a full team at every meeting because of having differing schedules. Please pray that God works it out for us.
• Finances - We are just over 2 months away from the trip, and we each have $2500 to raise. If you feel led to support us financially, please talk to one of us to find out the best way to donate.
• The Smiths - We will always keep Shane, Allyson, Hannah, Mia, and Moses in our prayers. Please pray for Shane's health, for Allyson's training in Kenya, and for a teacher for the kids (their teacher had to leave for family reasons).

Ok, that's all for now, there's plenty more, but I think I've written too much as it is. Thank you all for your love and support. You have no idea how much that means to us.

Blessings,

Paul G