Did I ever tell you that when we first joined New Tribes, we had full intentions of going to Mexico. Yeah, Mexico, with its amazing food, language, that I have already learned and its close close close proximity to the US. I have secretly always wanted to be Mexican. I thought living their would be closest I would ever come to that. Oh, Mexico!!
Dear Mexico, I could drive my van to you. I love you.
We leave tomorrow at 4pm, and start the longest airplane trip in the history of air planes. Seriously , if the Wright Brothers had known that one day a family of 5 would have to be on one of their little inventions for over 1,000,000 hours, they would have just quit working on aviation and would have invented the ipod or something. I hate flying. Seriously, hate it. I used to like flying. That was before I flew to China. One of those trips was 14 hours. Just like our longest stretch tomorrow will be. I thought I would never get off that plane. And I distinctly remember thinking that I would NEVER be on a flight that long again. In fact, when we first entered the training center at New Tribes, I said that I was in no circumstance ever going to Papua New Guinea, and the number one reason was that I would have to be on a friggin plane for a friggin million hours again. AHHHHHHHH! I'm losing it.
History or National Geographic or one of those channels recently did a TV show about cannibalism in PNG. People are constantly asking me about that, and to them I usually respond, "Forget the cannibals! I have to be on a plane for 14 hours with a 5 year old, a 3 year old, and an 8 month old. (And that is just the longest stretch. We will be on 2 planes before that one, and 3 after that. Yeah, count it up... that is SIX total). I would gladly give some cannibals my pointer finger to place in a hot dog bun and personally provide the ketchup, mustard and relish for them, if it meant that I did not have to get on that long flight tomorrow. I am seriously going to die. Also, I am never coming back for furlough. Everyone keeps saying, "see you in 4 years!" Ha ha! Yeah right! I am not getting back on a plane for that long ever again, so everybody better save your money if you want to see this face ever again.
Can you tell what I need prayer for? I am not nervous or worried about PNG at all. Not for me, my husband or kids. I am not nervous about getting malaria or parasites or having to build our own houses or the fact that people might be naked or that I might have to eat bugs. I would gladly eat a plate of every insect native to Papua New Guinea than get on the plane tomorrow. So, yeah, pray for my sanity. Pray that I will somehow become a normal person overnight and just focus on our destination. I am super excited about where we will end up. I just have to keep my eye on the prize! And remember that Mexico is a very dangerous place right now. Oh, Mexico!!!!! So close, yet so far away!