DonTreader: July 2011

My hopes were that I would post pretty soon after I returned from my trip, yet its been a month since I left, and 2 weeks since my return. I still find myself completely blanking out, and unsure where my train of thought was going, and wide awake 2 hours after I’ve decided to go to bed.

Im hoping within the next few days or weeks, I will get to it.

As you all know, a lot of the trip for me was being processes here in the states before I even left, so that being said, God’s peace completely overwhelmed me! Even before I had left, he was telling me with every issue I brought up. “I’ve got this”

And he really did.

Here’s that back story for this trip. Picture the 4th of July 2008, our dear friend, Jessica, was leaving for Nepal, and while at her going away shin dig, our group mentioned that we should take a trip there.

D whispered in my ear, when that trip happens, I’ll stay home with the baby, and you can go on this trip.

My heart sang, and my head said... that will be interesting.. Im not even sure I will be able to leave my child at that point. The one that was just conceived and we had accidentally told the whole group I was pregnant bc Im not good a keeping secrets.

So when the planning for this trip came, and the dead line to commit came, I wasn't sure how it was going to work out, but I had known for 2 years, that I was going on this trip.

I saved my money I got for christmas to make the deposit, keep in my D was unemployed at the time, and signed up, sent support letters, and let God do his thing.

What were my concerns:

$...although isn't this always everyones?

But more came up as D got a job.

What would we do with d2.

I continued to give them up to the Lord, and he kept telling me

“I’ve got this”

I had nothing else to do but trust in him, and watch at it all fell into place.

Dear friends & family of mine sent in $ that I didn't expect, and the Lord game D overtime that covered the last little bit.

The last thing that was still sitting in the back of my head was d2..what to do with him.

We had D’s sister.

But I really wanted to keep d2’s routine and environment as close to normal as possible, which meant having someone watch him at our house. I asked the first person I could think of, and she was out of town.

I pondered some more and then finally the Lord put her name in my head. It was a lot to ask, but I asked my dear friend Ann to and at first she game me a maybe...but it eventually became a yes. This whole time knowing that she would be the one to watch him, because God had said to me “I’ve got this”.

So that being said, I got on a plane and left my family to fend for themselves for 2 whole weeks.

Our Team

Our parting was bitter sweet. We hugged and kissed and our team made our way toward the security line. I heard d2 in the background fuss a little and cry out.... “I wanna go with mommy”. It tugged at my heart strings, but I knew this trip was good for me, and that God was going to show me a piece of him. I was fighting back the tears, glanced over at my family and waved. Then focused on making my way through the maze they had for us just to get to the ticket checker.

Then my dear friend Beth looked me in the eyes and said, “ Do you need a moment?’

And at that...tears streamed down my face.

I replayed sarcastically. “Now I do!”

To which Beth said...”I was tryin to be sweet!”

I smile and laughed a little and told her I knew she was.

I glanced over where my famliy was standing..and they had gone.

So we get on a plane, Lay over in LA for 3 hours..and then get on the long flight!

I think I got a hour of sleep here and there.. maybe 3 hours total, but it was pretty bad.

We arrive in Hong Kong with a 11 hour lay over, so we plan to go out and check it out.

We go through customs, exchange money, freshen up, get a train ticket, by some water...and with all that...I realize I have lost my carrie on. Or left it somewhere.

So Beth and I try to find the lost and found....but Im pretty sure after the 3rd person we ask...that they don't call it that here.

We finally get pointed in the right place and 3 long hallways later, we find the office.

They don't have it, so we leave my name with them and hope that when we get back to the airport that by some miracle they will have found it.

On that note.... Beth prayed for my suitcase and we exit to Hong Kong.

And I try not to let it get to me....but I put everything that I wanted for this trip in that suitcase! Through out that day I am remembering more things that are in it, that I would really like to have when we get to Nepal.

On that Note....here our my top picks for photos from Hong Kong!