Less than 24 hours...

Our flight to Ukraine leaves Valdosta in less than 24 hours. Aside from a few cell phone batteries left to charge, I believe everything is packed and ready to go. There has to be something I've forgotten, though! Still anxious and somewhat nervous, but reminding myself of Joshua 1:9... Be strong and courageous! Don't be afraid! The Lord will be with you every step of the way! Proverbs 16:3 is another of my faves... Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed! (My paraphrase on those.)

It's my understanding we'll have some type of Internet access nearly every day, so I'll make every effort to post to my blog and/or Facebook with updates and pictures. I'm sure I'll have a greater appreciation for our country's technology by the time we return home. (Or I may appreciate being "un-plugged" for a while!)

I'm thankful to everyone for their prayers, and ask that you keep them going!

Wes

Wherever you are...

One of my favorite quotes from Abraham Lincoln is "Whatever you are, be a good one!". I suppose I like this quote because it obligates us to do our best regardless of our vocation or status in life.

As I thought about our trip to Ukraine this week, this quote came to mind. And while it fits quite well with the tasks we have before us, I began to consider the implications of the quote if we were to change the word "whatever" to "wherever".

Mark 16:14-16 provides an account of one of Jesus' post-resurrection appearances to the eleven apostles, with instructions to "Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God's good news to one and all."(MSG) Wow! Sounds like quite a daunting task for such a small group of men. However, this passage, referred to as "The Great Commission", has often been used as a guilt-ridden motivator for Christians to enter the mission field and travel to remote locations to share the Good News. And, while I believe this commission is applicable to us today, I do not believe a person must travel to remote locations in order to share God's Message.

"Go into the world." Aren't we already 'in' the world? Simply stepping outside the front door of our home puts us as much 'in' the world as those who travel overseas to work in a remote mission field. Consider these 'mission fields'... your next door neighbor, a group of co-workers at your place of business, a group of close friends you hang with at Starbucks, the person in line with you at the check-out, the students you interact with 180 days out of the year ...and the list goes on and on.

My point? We are ALL missionaries. We're all capable of sharing God's Message 'WHEREVER' we are! (And often without speaking a single word!) Remember... "Whatever/wherever you are, be a good one!"

Ready...Set...Chaco!

They're not your typical "Jesus" shoes, and they're a far cry from the two dollar Old Navy flip-flops I'm perfectly content with this time of year, but they're very comfortable, and come highly recommended by past Ukraine travelers!

Although I may take a pair of ON flops as back-up, these will be my primary form of transportation during our stay in Ukraine. They're light, airy, and will accessorize well with my shorts and t-shirts!

On another note, I've spent a great deal of time in our attic for the last three days cleaning, organizing, purging, and gathering items for a Ukraine yard sale this weekend. I'll have to say, short stature has definitely been an advantage in the attic. I only hit my head two or three times on the rafters. As a result, though, our attic is probably more organized than it's ever been!

Aside from prepping for Saturday's sale, I've been working on both physical and spiritual aspects of the trip; attempting to make sure I have everything in order, and no stone's been left unturned.

Lastly, this third blog post now exceeds the extent of my prior blogging attempt by one post! Baby steps. Yep, baby steps.

In the meantime, please continue to keep Ukraine in your prayers!