Twas the Night Before Ecuador

There are two kinds of people in this world - those who pack days in advance and those who pack the night before. Which one are you?

I've never understood packing days in advance. I still need all my stuff until it's time to go! In typical Amanda form, I will be up long after the kids are in bed tonight with the washer and dryer working over time. I will be so wound up from packing that I'll probably have a hard time falling asleep. But all the craziness of packing and collecting the things I need for this trip (helloooooo Walmart on a Saturday) are going to be more than worth it.

If you've had the blessing of giving birth to more than one child, you might be able to relate to how I'm feeling tonight. I've spent months imagining this trip and what it will be like. I am so excited about playing with the precious kids, hearing their songs, talking to their mothers, and meeting the wonderful adults who lead their projects. I know I'm going to have rich experiences in the bus/canoe with the team. I feel a little less nervous and a little more secure about what's going to happen when I get there. Those are huge pluses.

But I keep having this thought:

Oh, crud, this is going to hurt. There's just no way around it.

(Someone reading this is weeks away from giving birth for the second time and she is nodding her head right now.)

Will you pray for our team? Did I hear a yes? A few yeses? Oh, thank you. I believe that your prayers will make a huge impact on our trip. Here are a few things you could pray for:

-Perfect health and protection for our team and for families back home.

-That the Holy Spirit will give us the words to write each night.

-That many, many, many, many blog readers will be prompted to sponsor children living in extreme poverty in Ecuador.

-That Jesus will be near to us, that we we will hear His voice, and that He will be glorified in our lives through this trip.

-That the enemy will be bound from having any influence.

I want to thank you in advance for holding up my arms during this trip. One other thing besides your prayers (and sponsorship, but that's obvious, right?) would be a huge encouragement. Would you let me know you're here? As the week goes on, would you let me hear your voices? I know sometimes it's hard to find words when posts are serious, but an "I'm praying!" or a "Still here," or a "Keep it up, sister," would help spur me on.

Thank you so much, friends. You guys have enriched my life in more ways than I could ever count. God alone knows.

Okay, are you ready? Let's go to Ecuador.

P.S. You can follow our team on Twitter here.