It is 12:22, I am only on my second cup of coffee surprisingly, all my bags are packed and sitting ready to go, and everything I need to have done to leave in in order. Praise God. In less than two hours I will be leaving my home for three months’ time. While I am excited I also have lots of worries leaving. General ones such as did I forget to pack anything, will the planes all be on time, and more importantly will I catch them all in time. Thankfully my large family has been very close in the past couple days to keep me sane.

                Wednesday night my Dad was picked up at the airport returning from a trip with my grandmother to the Netherlands so Thursday was a family day welcoming Dad back home and sending me off. We had a really enjoyable day and since I had finished most of my preparations it was a very good day that kept me busy. This week my family also welcomed the birth of a son, brother, grandson, nephew, and cousin into the family. This precious little baby has health concerns and is currently in critical condition at sick kids. Please pray for him and his parents while they go through this rough time in their life. Leaving without seeing my nephew and without knowing how he will do is very challenging, yet at the same time I believe that my prayers will be heard from anywhere and that his life is in God's hands. Praise God.

                My first flight leaves Toronto airport at 6:20 this morning and I will arrive in Durban South Africa around 5pm their time. The trip is long, the people are strangers, and the sleeping conditions are less than desirable I find myself oddly loving travel throughout the entire time. I think it is partially because of the amazing people I am looking forward to seeing on the other end of my flight. I quickly chatted with a friend from Richmond earlier today and the thought of being able to give her a great big hug in less than three days made me incredibly excited and all the more eager to go. There are a great many people that I look forward to seeing again in Richmond and many more, both of whom I have and have not heard about, that I am excited to meet and learn to know.

                This will probably be my last post for a few days unless I have a boring layover at the airport later on today. With the six hour time difference between South Africa and Ontario I may be posting at odd times so be sure to check every once in a while for a new post. Thank you to everyone you has and is supporting me in many ways as I leave for this mission.

                God bless you.

                Laina