Oh my words…today is January 23rd.  Which means that tomorrow is January 24th.  And in case you happened to miss the emboldened text on the picture above, that means that my tootsie is about to head to the other side of the world for a heart-changing adventure of a lifetime.

Ya’ll….I’ve written about it before HERE when I first accepted the invitation to join this phenomenal organization, Food for the Hungry, in another part of the globe.  And then I shared about how I had to get a mass amounts of shots and vaccinations (and the fear that Passport Health put into me about the dreaded traveler’s diarrhea) HERE.  Then again recently about how my 3-year-old changed my perspective and how the breaking of my heart for this people group has already begun, HERE.  But today I’m telling you that the time is now, and my first flight of 3 long ones will begin tomorrow morning.

OH MY WORDS!

So today I’m packing, and snuggling my babes, and loving on my man as I get ready to travel farther than I’ve ever gone to a land that will feel foreign to me.

I’ll learn how NOT to hug the free world there, because unlike in the deep South where I live, touching isn’t so much done.  I’ll wear my new TOMS shoes since they’re easy to get on and off when we enter homes, and make a flat spot on my butt since we’ll sit on the floor cross-legged everywhere we go.  And I’ll cramp my ankles as I remember to not let the soles of my feet face outward and offend someone.  I’ll set aside my fork and knife and learn to eat only with my right hand since the left one is considered unclean.  I’ll trade my Western clothing in favor of a Shalwar Kameez every time we’re in public.  I’ll spend time with the Lord, make new friends on my team, load up on books, and perfect my solitaire game during the 30ish hours of travel it’s going to take us to get there.  I’ll learn that personal space is all relative, because in a country with 1/2 the population of the US in a landmass smaller than Wisconsin, there really isn’t such a thing as “personal space.”  We’ll cover the faucet with a towel to remind us not to drink the water, and pray that the Lord covers our health while we’re there.  I’ll eat curry and naan and love every single second of the adventure of trying new things.

Perhaps though, the most exciting thing about all of these new ways and ideas though is that this lover of people, gets to do just that!  I’ll meet Ritu, our Sponsored Child with Food for the Hungry.  We’ll go into homes and connect real, flesh and blood people with this foreign land that’s wrought with poverty, and flooding, and overcrowding.

I’m excited to see firsthand how sponsoring a child with FH impacts the entire community, not just that child.  And I love that FH focuses from a missional basis in the parts of the world where children are the most vulnerable and at risk.  I’m certain that as a human being, but also as a parent, all of this is going to be really hard to take in and to process.  But process I will…and I’ll be doing it right here for you to all follow along.

So join me?  Pray for our team?  Follow us on Twitter with the hashtag #FHbloggers, and join our whole team for a Twitter party at 8pm EST on Jan 28th to ask questions and to win some amazing local handmade prizes every 15 minutes!

Will you all do me a favor too and leave me some comment love on here while I’m gone?  Just to connect to home, to hear the prayers of you my friends, and to connect with you from halfway around the world will do my heart such good!

Some specific things I’d love to ask you to pray for me while I’m gone:

• my husband and boys who will be at home without me, to have a peaceful and special time together
• the health of all of us (and particularly, I’m gonna ask that you pray that no one on our team gets travelers diarrhea)
• safe travel without hiccups or flight delays
• good times of connection and bonding within our team
• that we would show well the love of Christ to others
• that the Holy Spirit would do a transforming work in each of us to know God and love others more because of this time

I just have to tell you that my littlest did the sweetest thing today.

I went yesterday to Target to pick up a few things for my upcoming trip to Bangladesh.  You know, stuff that’s really important to have with me….Immodium, Pepto, Propel packets, and a new pair of yoga pants for an eternally long 30+ hours of airline travel. (Seriously…almost 5 hrs to LA, then almost 16 to Istanbul, and then another 8 to Dhaka….and that’s just the in-flight time.)  I’m pretty sure my new yoga pants will be put to good use.  Anywhoo….I picked up a couple of little things to take to Ritu, our sponsored child who I’ll get to meet when I’m in Bangladesh.  I didn’t want to get too much or overwhelm her, but what 7 year old kid doesn’t love colored pencils, paper, and some watercolor paints?

My littlest wanted to see what I got to take her.  It was actually my kids’ idea to get her a present…they’re gifters, just like their mama.

When I showed him the bag, he pulled out the 8pk of watercolor paints and said “no mommy, you cannot take this.”  I thought he was being selfish when he ran off with them.

But then he came back…carrying a his used 16pk watercolor paint box and said “mommy, take her mine because it has even more pretty colors.”

He’s 3 next week.  And he gets it.  I’m afraid that maybe sometimes, he gets it even better than I do.

You know what I’m nervous about?  I’m nervous because once I go…once I see…once I live this journey….I can’t pretend it doesn’t exist anymore.  Don’t I wish that I could say that I’m not nervous about how this one trip can change my worldview?!

I know it will.  I’m counting on it.  But the truth is, that once you really come face to face with the hard reality of life in most of the rest of the world, you HAVE to do something about it.  You have to be different.  And I’m excited about what that different will look like, but I’m nervous about it too.

We’re just so comfy, cozy here in America…and any other place I’ve ever been is pretty comfy, cozy too.  I’m pretty sure that Bangladesh is about to make me abandon that ship called Comfy Cozy and change my life.

Follow along with me?  Encourage me along the way as I follow the lead of my 3 year old and learn what it looks like to give away my favorite paints too.

Who doesn’t love Christmas lights?!  Seriously…there’s something magical about them.  We drive around neighborhoods looking at them, we love Clark Griswold because of them, we are fascinated with them.

When I was a kid we used to go to a whole town that does up their lights for Christmas, McAdenville NC.  Ya’ll….it is something to see!  But the past few years, we stick around town and go to this one house.  Get directions if you’re anywhere in upstate SC to #106 Shearbrook Drive in Mauldin, SC.  It is just plain incredible.

I swear half of Greenville County turns out to see this house.  They’ve been on the news, in magazines, and all over facebook from locals.  It’s just a couple of guys who get seriously into the Christmas spirit, and with the help of family and friends, they go ALL OUT.  You park, walk to the house, and then go along the lighted pathway around their house (and into the neighbor’s backyard) where it is the most spectacular Christmas light display I’ve EVER seen.  It’s all digitized to music (which changes in different parts of the property.)  They serve free popcorn and hot chocolate, have a Santa Claus with candy canes, and honestly, it’s just the MOST fun.  They run on donations to cover the cost of a $2600 electric bill for one month, and to help replace lights and add to the display each year.

They love Christmas, and that’s why they do it.  With more than 270,000 lights, and over 65 giant inflatables running, these people have to turn off their stove, dryer, indoor lights, heat, and water heater to accomodate the power pull from this thing.  AND, they borrow power from a few willing neighbors who love to help make the whole thing possible. The use over 700 extension cords, 17 20-amp breakers, and an amperage meter to keep from blowing up the neighborhood.  They start unpacking boxes and decorating in mid-September and spend 2-3 hours per day, in addition to 2 weeks worth of vacation spending 16 hours per day to get it all done.

These guys deserve an HGTV or  TLC special.  I’ve never seen anything like it.

Check out a few shots and a video that I took.

So, Allume has passed, and I’m still finding myself pondering some of the same things that the Lord has had me pondering for months now. Much of it, I shared in my session at Allume on Blogging as Discipleship.  I’m going to share a few snippits from that session below, but if you want the full on thing (complete with Monty Python impersonation) then you can download my session, along with the whole bundle of almost 30 other incredible speaker sessions HERE!

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I’ve always been a people person. I am an extrovert if there ever was one, but I think the proverbial “lights came on” in my mind when I realized something years ago about myself.

I love a good party. I love to plan them to the enth degree….to decorate…to create atmospheres and environments where people can just come and have a good time.

I’ve been decorating for Christmas, as I’m sure many of you have been as well.  We’ll host a Christmas party this year at my home again, and so the decorating gets amped up a notch.  It’s even more fun to go to great lengths when you get to share it with others.  But… as much as I love to create and prepare, in the end…none of that matters to me as much as the people who walk into my home. When the first person walks through my door, worrying about the environment is done…and the people are what’s important to me.

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Hop on over to the Allume blog today to read the rest and to see the site’s gorgeous new facelift!

Ok, ok, so maybe alluding to a “shot to the heart” is a bit too much Bon Jovi meets Pulp Fiction drama to describe the shots that I actually got yesterday.  Honestly, it was more like an into-the-shoulder-muscle sort of pain that leaves you feeling the next day like maybe you’d worked out really hard the morning prior.  For a kid who got allergy shots a couple of times a week for the better part of 10 years, the needles don’t really put the fear in me.  Besides….here’s a tip for the shot-a-phobic…DON’T LOOK!

In order to head to Bangladesh with Food for the Hungry in January, I had to get fully vaccinated.  Apparently, according to the US State Dept, in case of any major illness in Bangladesh, we better hope that I get my butt airlifted to a different country.  They didn’t list a single medical facility that they recommend in the entire country.

I went yesterday morning to our local Passport Health office to get my vaccinations and to learn a bit during the consultation about the things to expect from my time in Bangladesh.

So check it out…

The good-natured nurse and I may or may not have added additional syringes, bandaids, alcohol swabs, and tylenol to this scene to make you feel more sorry for my aching arms.  In the end, I really just had to get 2 shots.

I did come home also though with a packet of pills to take before my trip and during to keep me from getting Malaria.  I also got a handy dandy little kit of spray to keep mosquitos from biting me through my clothes, 12 hour mosquito lotion that this mosquito-magnet needs to apply both morning and night, and some sting ease in case one of the little boogers finds a hole in my bite-shielding armour!  And um, did you know that malaria carrying mosquitos bite only during the night, and dengue fever carrying mosquitos are only during the day?  Basically, mosquitos in other countries are fierce little creatures and so I intend to employ my handy little mosquito avoidance kit while I’m in Bangladesh!

Wanna know what really did scare the crap out of me (pun totally intended) from my visit to Passport Health though?

Traveler’s Diarrhea!

I am not even kidding you!  Of all the topics and diseases they warned me about, diarrhea is the one they spent the most time addressing!  Make sure to buy hand sanitizer wipes (hello…especially in a utensil-less country that only eats with hands!), drink plenty of fluids, take mini gatorade packages for bottled water, check the manufacturer seal on bottled water to make sure the bottle wasn’t refilled with tap water and the lid glued back on.  Only eat meat that’s been thoroughly cooked, don’t eat any leafy greens or fruits that have been rinsed in the water, put a towel over the faucet to remind yourself not to brush your teeth with the water, and the list goes on.  And basically if you fail to follow these things, you’re risking the runs….and a serious case of them!  The handy dandy kit they gave me that is the largest in size and contents, was the one for diarrhea!  Antibiotics in case I get it, immodium to stop it, more immodium to stop it, electrolytes, and a powdered something or another that is pretty much my drinkable IV drip in case it’s out of control!  And if that doesn’t work…hope for an airlift!?!

As a friend said to me the other day, and I laughed because of this most hilarious video about funny things Christians say, let’s just hope we have some serious “traveling mercies!”

Watch the funny video just for a good laugh, start praying for our trip now, and get excited that you guys get to join me as we head on our Food for the hungry Bloggers trip to Bangladesh in January!

I was on a phone call the other day with a wise new friend.  Somehow in the conversation, my friend brought up the words from Psalm 77 about how the Lord makes a way where there was none.

I’ve been thinking about those words quite a bit since.  That day even, I knew I had more to chew on with those words…the reminder that God doesn’t need a way that makes sense or is obvious to get us where he wants us to go.

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Pop on over to Allume today to read the rest of this story!

Once when I was about 15, I remember going to the grocery store at the beach with my uncle.  For some reason he didn’t wear shoes, and I was mortified.  He told me though, that if he walked with authority into the store, that noone would even notice that he wasn’t wearing shoes.  I cringed the whole time thinking that the “no shirt, no SHOES, no service” sign was going to jump off the wall and not allow us to buy anything.  That never happened though, and not a soul in the place noticed that he was shoeless.  (Can I say how badly I just wanted to write…”Not a sole in the place” ….oh friends…pun intended…pun totally intended!)

Anyhow…My point is, that if you do just about anything with authority, you can get away with it!  Or…clothingly speaking, if you put an outfit together with a single piece that demands attention, then just wait and see what you can pull off!

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I know you’re dying to know what that essential clothing item is in my opinion, so hop on over to the style blog, Together in 10, today to find out!  I’m a contributor over there and would love to have you join me!

Breaking News ya’ll!

Here’s the short version.

Through a series of crazy, God-sized events and introductions a few weeks ago, I met this really fantastic gal named Lindsey who works with Food For the Hungry.  We had a beer and talked real life.  We connected.

Then, a week or so later, I got an email from my fun new friend asking if I’d ever be interested in going on a blogging trip with Food for the Hungry.  My answer….”Um….YES!”

Another week later she emailed me and said something to the effect of, “I know this is a long shot, but we have an opening in a FH Bloggers trip we’re taking in January to Bangladesh.  Any chance you’re interested?”

Say WHAT?!?!!!

Ummm…..YES!

Someone pinch me!

I asked my hubs, we prayed about it, and knew that this was an answer to a prayer we’ve been asking the Lord about me and a mission trip for about 6 months now.

Sooo….the short story is that at the end of January I’m headed with a Food for the Hungry team of people to Bangladesh.  I have no idea, besides that God is crazy good, how I ended up with this phenomenally talented group of bloggers, writers, and photographers.  Seriously…me.  Little ol me.

I’ll be writing every day that we’re in Bangladesh (apparently pronounced BONG-la-desh according to some friends of mine who corrected my Southernese butchering of it.)  We’ll share stories, pictures, people, places and real life with you!  So check out the page HERE that’s set up for our trip to learn more!  Can’t wait to share it all with you friends!

Somebody pinch me!  Seriously….PINCH ME!

Photo credit: A Crowded Market in Dhaka, Bangladesh