Five days!

Woohoo! Can you believe it?! After months and months of waiting, the time for me to leave for Malawi is drawing very near. I'm super excited!

Things I've done:

• Raised (almost) enough money for the trip, thanks to God's faithfulness and the generosity of so many at LCC, Montreat Pres., iSight, and family members, etc.
  
• Packed my huge backpacking-backpack to the rim
• Read about Malaria...a lot
  
• Bought lots of tiny soaps, shampoos, etc.
• Made plans to sing at church Sunday (6/28) at LCC
• Talked to my sweet friends and prayed for each of them
• Hugged my mother and daddy spontaneously, sometimes with teary-eyes

Things I need to do:

• Begin my Malaria-prevention pill regimen
• Charge my iPod TO THE MAX
• Stop worrying that I'm going to get some horrible stomach-ailment that haunts me through my entire trip (if you know what I'm saying)
• Charge my video camera TO THE MAX
• Buy some stationary so that I can write to my darling family and friends
• CALL SARA KENDALL TROUT AND HAVE A PHONE DATE WITH HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Watch all of my mom and my favorite chick flicks together with entirely too much chocolate
• Pray, but that's a given

Things I refuse to do:

• Get discouraged by the people who constantly say, "Malawi, is that near Mexico?" or "Why don't you minister to people IN AMURRKA?!" or "Oh my gosh...wear a mask or you'll get AIDS" (I'm not kidding. I mean, seriously...air-borne AIDS?)
• Plot Madonna's karate-chopping, should I encounter her (this one's a toughie, it's going to take some Jesus-intervention)
  
• Scream about bugs
• Forget to take my pills
• Freak out about my pills
• FORGET TO CALL SARA KENDALL TROUT!!!!!!!!!!!!
  
• Get angry about trivial things
• Drink the local water
  
• Forget why I'm doing this.

As always, your prayers are appreciated, my dear friends.