We continue to make progress in preparation for our mission trip to Zambia.  The sketch at left is from a photo of my daughter Maribeth and me in Chicago.  She is an Applied Linguistics student at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.  She is studying abroad this semester in Israel.  Tomorrow my wife, Lynne, leaves for a week-long mission trip to Guatemala.   I spent so many years traveling without my family and now I sit home while they travel.
     Our reservations are made to arrive in Zambia June 3rd.   I am excited in anticipation of seeing Africa, meeting the children and seeing what God will do in my life through those children.  Took a break from listening to my favorite podcast (Stuff You Should Know from How Stuff Works) and listened to the new Chris Tomlin album Burning Lights.    Love the song Lay Me Down.  Singing the chorus brought Zambia to mind for me:

"I’m not my ownI belong to you aloneLay me downLay me downHand on my heartThis much is trueThere’s no life apart from youLay me down"

      As a school teacher, I love my summers.  I especially love teaching the 9th Grade Junior University class the first two weeks of summer.  For two weeks teaching I get paid a pretty big chunk of change (I love chunky chocolate bars with the raisins and peanuts???).   Listening to Awake My Soul and Lay Me Down I new that I was placing money above what God was calling me to in Zambia.     I visited Darbi & Blu's blog today and looked over the pictures of Darbi's parents with the kids and Zambia and found myself trying to memorize the faces of the children.  I make it a point to learn the names and faces of every child I teach.  I see 180 new faces every nine weeks, but I know how important it is for children to hear someone call them by name.  I want to know their names before I arrive.  I might have to make flash cards for that!!!!!


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