And so it begins. . . .

Hello Everyone,

Well, here it is! I have been preparing my mind and my heart for this trip since November, and now - I step on a plane tomorrow morning and my journey officially begins.

Yesterday, my sister came over and we had a "packing party." AKA she sat in the corner with my packing list and a pencil, and I packed whatever item she called out. And she kept me motivated. What initially seemed like a horrendously large process turned out to only take about two hours. Not bad.

This morning I had some last-minute laundry to do, and some last-minute things to pack. And now, after a third and fourth and fifth check of my packing list, my 48.6 pound suitcase and myself are ready to go. Or maybe it's 50.2 pounds. The scale had a hard time deciding.

Mom gets off work at 7:00, and then we are driving to Des Moines tonight and staying in a motel. My plane takes off at 6:15 tomorrow morning, and two layovers later, I will land in West Palm Beach, Florida, at 3:30 p.m. I'll have three days of orientation and then, finally, I will be off to India!

I hope to update one more time before I actually leave the country, but if I don't, then you can count on an update soon after I get there.

Prayer Requests:
- Pray for my travels tomorrow. This is the first time I have flown alone, and while I'm sure everything will go smoothly, I am still nervous about it.
- Pray that the rest of my team makes it to Florida safely, and pray also for the other three SOSers who fly out tomorrow.
- Pray for my missionaries in India as they prepare to take in eleven 20-something-year-olds for ten weeks.

My mind is racing with a million things I need to remember. I'm nervous, a little sad to be leaving, but also very excited to see how God will use me this summer! I'll update as often as I can. I truly appreciate all of your support!

Love,
Emily

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9