Forty-two days and counting!

Hello Everyone,
Thank you for your prayers and contributions! I just received my assignment for blogging and Saturday will be the day I share our adventure with you. As I am writing this I am thinking about all of the things that still need to be accomplished before we leave on June 4th for Kisumu. When we fly into Kisumu, Kenya we will be allowed one checked bag that can only weigh 33 pounds! This Sunday afternoon we will be doing a "weigh-in" of our luggage. I anticipate some very creative packing and re-prioritizing as we begin to fine-tune our needs versus wants. We also want to take the items that have been requested by our Kisumu hosts as well as the items donated to our team from our Christ Community Church family. And we have to have room for peanut butter! It is a much-requested favorite!
As you can probably tell there are a lot of details that must be considered when undertaking a journey like this. There are immunizations, medications, visas, passports, work schedules, care-providing schedules, monies, etc. that must be in place before we even set foot on the plane.
Most importantly, we have been preparing as a team to go forward and offer Christ's hope to the people we will meet in Kisumu. We have asked Christ to be at the center of our team. We have completed a 40 day progressive fast together; we have had a team retreat and shared our testimonies with each other; we have participated in a team-building exercise together that really stretched all of us physically and mentally; we are all on day 62 of a four-month long Bible study; we continue to meet weekly to iron out details and have additional training to prepare us for what lies ahead. We are also praying for the people we will be working with and praying that we will all have "servant hearts".
I would like to share with you what we are all studying today as a team.
Today's Bible study was "Be Holy" referencing I Peter 1:13-25. It begins with "Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: Be holy, because I am holy."
What a great reminder that all this preparation is pointing us to Jesus and the grace he will give to us all!
Until next time, may God bless you all richly
Pat Swarm