errands and last minute chores

I am amazed by the number of "little" things to be done in the last 10 days before my departure: buy bug spray, get a haircut, finish up my shot boosters, buy some Christian children's books, pack as lightly but as efficiently as possible, etc. etc.

I am feeling very calm and ready for the journey. I am really looking forward to seeing my niece, Jessica, who has already been working in Zambia since mid-May. As usual, the summer is flying by. I thank God for working through us to change the lives of needy youngsters this summer. As I leave, I am leaving my Cambridge ministry too. I asked one of my families who has been receiving free bread to pick up bread on Saturdays in my absence and see that it gets delivered to those who need it. The RPM ministry group really has a wonderful outreach in Cambridge, and that area really needs a vibrant ministry to help lift up the poor and show them the light of Christ.

My cousin Shari's husband, Chris, made a comment at our family reunion this past weekend that I want to share. He said while our country does have poor people, we need to remember that our U.S.A. poverty line is not poverty when compared with the third world nations. God does call us to reach out to those who experience hard times financially, helping them with food and bills, but we dare not forget that God is also sending us to "the ends of the earth" -- to children who sleep outside under a piece of cardboard, or families who eat just one nutritionally deficient meal per day, or whole communities who have been displaced to refugee tents because of war. I think of a lady near here who called me several months ago, in tears, because she could pay all her bills except her trash pickup bill, and was afraid they would cut her off. I had to tell her that we don't consider trash pickup an emergency. What I didn't tell her was how wonderful I thought it was that she could pay all her other bills; that she has food on the table and a roof over her head; that she has more than one change of clothes and even a car to drive. We need to be more aware of our blessings. We really have much more than we think we do.

Our last team conference call from Every Orphan's Hope is Thursday night. Then one week later on July 9 I will be driving to my sister's house in Ashburn, VA, and flying out of Dulles on July 10. The trip will take about 24 hours total: a stop in Dakar, Senegal; a stop in Johannesburg, South Africa; and then the final leg from Johannesurg north to Lusaka, Zambia, arriving late on the 11th of July. We will have the weekend to get our bearings and get recovered from jet lag, then Monday - Thursday (July 13-16) is our first Camp Hope in the village of Chongwe, Zambia. Then we will repeat that the following week with another Monday-Thursday camp. On Sundays we are worshipping in a local church in Lusaka, if I have understood correctly. I don't know if I will be able to connect with Zambian Presbyterians or not, but I sure hope so!

I will make another entry at the end of this week to report on our conference call. I should have all the final details of our trip then. God bless you all!