Look out Christchurch, here we come

 Right then...my first ever "Mission Trip" - in my own country. I leave with a fabulous small team first thing tomorrow morning. We're off to run a holiday program to give some stressed out kids (and parents) some time out from the earthquake and aftershocks in the mornings and could be doing anything in the afternoons,  from clearing silt from gardens to playing with chemical toilets. 6 y/o C is coming with me for the flight and being collected by Beloved who's staying at his Dad's house in Ashburton, about an hour's drive away from the Quake City.

Ummm...So God, When I signed up for this I was thinking, "Here I am. Available. I'll do it". It was so easy to be enthusiastic before the flights were booked. Now I'm thinking "What have I let myself in for???"

• I'm scared of flying.
• I'm going to miss my children.
• I'll miss my chickens.
• I'll miss my friends.
• I'm missing the great Kiwi Road Trip with Smiley and Kish to visit Ant up in the far North (why is it they've all decided to head up into the opposite direction to where I'm going?)
• I'll be staying with people I don't know.
• I have serious "issues" with using other people's bathrooms.
• I'm clumsy.
• I can't seem to fit everything into my suitcase.
• I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to be doing when I get there.
• I have a sore pinky toe from where C decided to dance on me a few weeks ago (do you suppose she broke it?)
• It hurts to wear shoes.
• The ground is still shaking in Christchurch.
• I have a restricted diet and don't know what I'm going to eat.

I suppose Christchurch isn't exactly deepest, darkest Africa, so if food ever should become an issue, it probably won't come to this:

No offense to Africa intended. Just couldn't find an interesting Bangladesh cartoon to amuse my favourite real-life missionary friend.

And I guess I should remember, God has promised to be with me. So...I'm available. I'm nervous, but I'm available...and God is with me.