Almost Time...

Things are strewn across our bedroom, duffel bags are ready and waiting, last minute challenges are popping up and things are somehow falling into place. We will be gone for three weeks, leaving this week on July 10th to start our 28 hour trek to Nairobi, Kenya.

My wife, Emily, and I will be accompanying Darren Wilson on what I am dubbing a 'contract mission work' trip to Made in the Streets - a Church of Christ mission facility that works to get street kids into a program that educates them and has a final goal of moving them back into society, able to sustain themselves and a family with a job.

To be honest, I have always been leery of mission facilities/organizations that I am not familiar with. Mission, to me, is serving peoples needs where they are at - unconditionally. It entails a whole heck-of-a-lot of personal learning and a willingness to change ones personal and world views. I do not participate in mission in an effort to 'convert' people, but rather to serve God's humanity.

Our original and primary goal is to help the MITS facility with a variety of their technology related needs. In fact, that is why South MacArthur Church of Christ started looking beyond their own walls to find people that could assist with such a specific goal. A member of South Mac, Darren started asking around and the question fell in Emily's and my laps - the response being a no-brainer 'YES'. In addition to 'fixing tech problems', we expect to teach teachers and kids, work on a video for the facility, visit a 'displacement camp' and experience a 3 night safari in the Mara Reserve.

That all being said, batteries are being charged, equipment is being packed, and episodes of 'Man vs. Wild' (Here's a YouTube clip) are being watched - JUST IN CASE. ;)