One Week! Gah! Exciting!

So the title is what it says....the mission trip is one week away. Wow! It just felt like it was 6 months ago, when we were all planning things out, just waiting for this time to come. Now it is here! That is one of the biggest blood rushes a person could get. This past Wednesday, we all gathered at the Beske's house with the daunting task to pack everything we had...and it was a lot. It filled up a lot of the living room! So with the 50 lb maximum limit, our challenge was on. We had a great time doing it. Who knew that taking all the little plastic and cardboard off of many things would save us room! We packed all seven suitcases to 49.5 to 49.7lbs. We need to take advantage of the space we have. We do have some of small things in our personal bags, but that is the least that we all can do.
Tomorrow we get commissioned for this mission trip. The second one that Trinity is supporting this year. It is really kicking in that next Sunday we will be with Joanna in Dakar, Senegal. Eeeh! This is so exciting! I feel so blessed to be going on this trip. On the trip we will be having two birthdays!! Brea's is July 29th and mine is August 2nd! (any rumors of my arranged marriage and wedding is completely untrue!) 
I'm working on packing my own suitcase at the moment. I never realized how well skirts and shirts pack. If you roll them up into tight rolls, they only take up 1/4 of my suitcase. How I wish my room could be as organized as my suitcase. Between college shopping and Senegal packing, my room is completely messy, yet I still know where most things are. And just normal life makes my room very interesting to maneuver.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phillipians 4:6-7

These two verses are showing my attitude is about the preparation for this trip and the trip itself. Below, I've attached a picture of the group going over.

God Bless!

[From left to right. Top Row: Kelly Slobodjian, Debbie Clift, Bob Beske, Paul Melson. Bottom Row: Barbara Beske, Brea Slobodjian, Amy Melson]