T minus 4 days before takeoff. Time to pack and cram!
Sleep
I’ve been having more trouble sleeping the closer we get to the missions trip. As the time draws near, it has become more and more painfully apparent to me that I will never be prepared. Fortunately, God speaks to us when we need it and the sermon today was about fear. Instead of trying to adopt the Mamba Mentality, which I normally do, I need to place my trust in Jesus. Although I don’t like admitting my fear, I am scared and anxious. The last time I traveled overseas, the Lakers were busy winning their first championship with Pau Gasol. I will be relying on teammates, whom I am just getting to know and I still don’t know Mandarin. Finally, time is running out and there is still so much to pack and prepare! Please continue to pray for us as we prepare so that we may not worry but place our trust in our solid rock, Jesus Christ.
Health
I had a cold which started last Friday night. In retrospect, this was the perfect time for a cold since I could fully recover right before the trip and it helped me sleep a bit more. Usually, I am in denial when I get sick but since I have to learn to over-communicate any possible symptoms to our team lead for this missions trip, this was good practice. I’ve recovered to 98% and will do my best not to get sick again before the trip. Thank you for the prayers!
Practice
I got to practice teaching The Parable of the Prodigal Son to three of our preschoolers since there was a Mandarin congregation workshop this past Saturday. It was a lot of fun to prepare and teach the lesson even though I waited until the last minute to prepare. I got good feedback from my team to make the lesson simpler and to repeat key concepts more. There are four more lesson plans left for me to write up before the trip. The practice singing the Mandarin songs has finally been useful though since I was able to sing a bit louder and lead my teammates through those songs when we did not have a PowerPoint for the kids on Saturday. On the other hand, I am still struggling with the hand motions for the English songs but I likewise can trust my teammates to lead and sing a bit louder and faster for those.
Prayer Requests
- Total reliance on and trust in the Lord
- Discipline and wisdom from God