It's Time

It definitely snuck up on me. Less than 12 hours before my parents and I begin the treck to D.C. and nothing is packed - just laying out all over my room. There's still so much to do and so little time, but that's okay because at this point I just want to BE THERE. The sooner the better!

It's been so great and encouraging to catch up with friends this week. I am blown away by all your incredible prayer support and even the comments on the first post. I wish I could express to you how much your prayers mean the me - I don't take that support lightly.

So here's the plan:

My parents and I will drive to Virginia Friday, and then to D.C. Saturday. They will drop me off at Dulles airport around 3pm when I will get to meet the other USP students. At 6pm we fly from D.C. to Amsterdam, then Amsterdam to Entebbe in Uganda. We're scheduled to arrive in Uganda at 9pm on Sunday (1pm eastern time). We will probably all be exhausted and jet lagged, and then we get to start classes the next morning! That scares me.

There are already a few cultural differences that I find interesting and I'm not even there yet! I know that I am attending classes on monday, but I do not know for sure which ones! I know which ones I would like to take, but I don't know when or how it becomes official. At IWU we know a month or two in advance what classes we're taking, when and where they meet, etc. At UCU we may have to check on a daily or weekly basis to find out what time our classes meet. That will take some getting used to!

Also, when Ugandan students go to class they dress very professionally, so I'll be wearing skirts everyday. As I've been buying clothes for this semester I often look more like a teacher than a student, at least by IWU standards! I will definitely miss the jeans and hoody default that we students all know and love! Also, we've been told we should bring a full-length, modest nightgown to sleep in for homestays since the family will likely be conservative. I bought one today and I am officially declaring it my first humbling experience of the trip. :)
I know I haven't technically even left yet, but I say it counts.

Anyways, how can you pray for me? Well, besides the obvious "safe travel" request, please pray that I will adapt well as I enter a different culture, attempt to sleep, and then go off to classes that will be totally different than anything I've experienced.

Please pray that I will be able to step outside of my comfort zone and take the initiative to meet and interact with Ugandan students, as I'm sure my instincts will tell me to cling to the other American students instead.

Pray for my separation anxiety from my cello!!!!!!!!! Yeah, I know it's wierd, I don't care. In the past several years I haven't gone more than about 3 weeks without playing it, so 4 MONTHS is kind of a big deal. However, I've heard that there may be one at the YMCA in the capital city, Kampala (15 miles from campus) that I could play every once in awhile. That would be a blessing!

Please pray that God would grant me the grace to trust him in everything. He has been faithful in amazing ways already.