The Final Countdown...

The final countdown has begun! 24 hours I will have landed in Guatemala! It is finally becoming so real and tangible.  This trip has been on my mind since December but the excitement hadn't really hit me until this past weekend.  I typically don't get nervous or excited for anything until right before it happens and that is true for this trip too.  Finalizing the details and packing  has made me realize how much different this trip is from any other vacation, or frankly anything else I've ever done.  This is the first trip I have planned and taken [almost] completely by myself.  While my parents have been helping me whenever I need it, they are encouraging me to take care of things myself too.  After all, they aren't going to plan every vacation for me so I need to learn how to do it myself.

Last week I went to a travel clinic in the area and got all the vaccines that they recommend that you get for Guatemala.  I only got one shot and then a prescription for 3 other medicines.  I don't think I've ever had this much medicine at one time in my entire life.  I am taking a bunch of generic medicine as well, just in case I start not feeling well.  I feel like I'm bringing a mini pharmacy but I'd rather bring all of it rather than risk getting sick down there.

I will also be an insect repelling shield. I went to EMS to get a sleeping liner to sleep in and the sales lady gave me the insect repellent one and showed me basically every other insect repellent thing that they had.  I didn't get all of it but I think I am fully armed to combat the bugs.  I'm fine with almost any animal except little bugs.

The difficult thing about this trip is that it is an in an area where none of my family has been before and also, I have no clue what I'll actually be doing, making it a little difficult to pack for.  I aimed for packing a variety of clothes that would work for almost every situation.  The other obstacle was making sure everything is wearable in the heat while still being relatively modest so that I don't stick out like a sore thumb among the native people.

Especially over the past two weeks, I have been able to share about this trip with so many people.  I saw many family friends and after asking how my first year of college was, most asked what my plans for the summer were.  As soon as I mentioned the words mission trip, they asked more questions, like where I was going, how long, what would I be doing, etc.  In some cases, that was the end of the conversation, but then others told me about their own mission trips, either to Central America or anywhere else and what a fantastic time they had.  Hearing their stories made my trip more realistic and not as far-off anymore.  Even in the waiting room at the doctor's office, a man overheard me telling the secretary that I would be going to Guatemala and he started telling me about his daughter's trip to Haiti a few years ago and how she left a piece of her heart there.  This man is the perfect example of how mission trips and experiences like these can provide strangers with a connection that they hadn't had before. 

The name for this blog came about when my roommate and I were brainstorming names one night at the end of the semester.  We decided on Travels and Testimonies because I'll be traveling obviously but also because testimonies are how I see God working and how He speaks to me.  This past year, I've realized that He makes things apparent to me about my life through other peoples' testimonies.  I am trying really hard not to arrive with too much anticipation, so that my eyes, ears, and heart will be fully open to absorb God's message and not clouded by any expectations even though it is kind of difficult when I have heard so many wonderful stories about others and their experiences.

I leave tomorrow morning at 4! Please pray for a safe flight and arrival! I will hopefully be posting again in the next days with some pictures.