Well today was my last full day in the United States- until April 23 that is! I spent the day running last minute errands, packing, saying goodbye, crying and wondering WHAT DID I GET MYSELF INTO?!? Don't get me wrong, I am really excited, but at the same time, I am worried about traveling to a foreign county by myself and if this will really be the experience I've always dreamed of. It's too late to turn back now, and I know I'll always wonder what could've been, so there's no choice but to board that plane tomorrow.

Since I am already nervous and feeling like I will be homesick, now is the perfect time to give my contact information for while I am gone. As one could imagine, the price to connect to the internet in Namibia is quite expensive, so for that reason, the missionaries I am staying with have an outlook-type account, where they only connect 2 times a day in order to send and receive mail. If you are interested in sending emails, their addres is: vols2@mweb.com.na Please be sure to put my name in the subject, so that they know the email is for me! Also, I will only be able to receive text- that means no pictures or attachments!! If you prefer "snail mail" (and it really IS snail mail because it takes 2-4 weeks to arrive to Namibia!!!), the address is:
(my name)
c/o Children of Zion Village
PO Box 218
Katima Mulilo 9000
Namibia

Some have asked, and since it takes anywhere from several weeks to several MONTHS, NO PACKAGES PLEASE!! Well, this is all I can think of for now. Hopefully I can update you by the end of this week with how my flight went! Thanks for all of your wonderful emails and prayers- I really need it now!

Last week I received the news that I would be leaving Tuesday, January 27th- and the countdown began!! My last day of work is this Wednesday, then I'll have to start cracking down and begin to pack! I am very excited that I will be able to bring summer clothes for the 80 degree weather they have :)

Tuesday, I will be leaving from Dulles at 5:40pm and arriving in Johannesburg, South Africa, 3:50pm (local time- they are 7 hours ahead). I have a reservation at a beautiful Bed and Breakfast, The Lilypad, about 10 minutes away from the airport, and they will send someone to pick me up so I won't have to worry about getting a taxi or anything! The next day, I depart Johannesburg at 10:40am and arrive in Livingstone, Zambia, at 12:30pm. From there, the missionaries from Children of Zion Village will pick me up and we'll drive a few hours to the orphanage in Namibia.

I am definitly very excited to leave, but I am starting to get a little nervous! Right now, the biggest fear I have is the airplane ride, which I'm always a little anxious about anyway. Luckily, I got the window seats I requested :)

As always, I appreciate all of your prayers and contributions- you all have helped me achieve this dream!

Happy New Year!

I am very excited to let you all know that with donations I have already received and the money I have set aside, I now have a total of $4000 towards my mission trip to Africa. More great news - the prices of flights have dropped almost $300 since November! This is very exciting for me because I wasn’t sure that leaving in January was going to be a possibility, but now it’s looking like I will be able to go in the next couple of weeks. Because I am so close to my goal, I took a leap of faith and booked my flight for January 19th!

For those that are still considering a donation, I know that times are tough and with it being so close to Christmas it may be difficult. If you’re unable to donate, please keep me in your prayers. Thanks to all for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers and to those who were able to donate – thank you so much; you’re making my dream come true!!
If you are able to donate, please send your donations (with my name clearly marked on it) to:

Children of Zion, Inc.
P.O. Box 413
Churchville, MD 21028

Thanks again!