(For a little background click here)

In exactly a week, my family of seven and about seven other people (who are like family to me) are going to embark on an eighteen (18) hour flight to experience something that is guaranteed to change our lives and our view of life and other people forever.

It sounds cheesy, I know.

But as our takeoff date draws nearer, I find myself becoming more anxious and feeling inadequate for this journey that I’m about to take.

Every week, our team of fourteen people meet and facetime together for about two hours to prepare ourselves (and our hearts) for this twelve day trip.

This trip, isn’t going to be a vacation.

It’s not going to be relaxing.

This trip is going to be hard: physically, mentally and emotionally.

And to be honest, I don’t think I’m ready for it-  because I’m not 100% sure what I’m exactly supposed to be ready for.

We’ll see women who are 25, with a 40 year old husband and a 13 year old son. We’ll see young girls, who are the sole providers for their families,  working as prostitutes to make 50 cents a day so that their families will have food.

I don’t think there’s a way to be completely prepared for what we are about to see.

I don’t think that I want to be completely prepared for what we are about to see.

I do know that what I am prepared for, is to be completely present and be okay with the fact that I’m not prepared. 

I’m just anticipating Ethiopia.