the countdown is on

Only the final quarter of my exams to go tomorrow arvo - Classics (philosophy, latin and anc. greek - tick, tick, tick), and I realise I'm being very naughty by blogging instead of studying right now! I'm disturbingly understressed about exams - I do want to do well, and I actually kind of enjoy studying once I get into it, but at the moment lacking in motivation ... is it the closeness to yr 12, or... my African adventure beginning in 6 sleeps?!

I'm getting so excited - I can't believe that I'm going on this amazing and challenging trip in the first place, and that I'm leaving so soon ... this time next week I may well be in Nairobi!! It's so much fun being at this stage as well, it's the best conversation starter with strangers - today going with Mum to Norwood to get some things for the trip I ended up speaking to a very helpful and interested woman in the pharmacy who brought out a whole armful of insect bite sprays, creams and gels so I could get the best one and proceeded to ask all about the trip (as Mum said, she almost asked for the list of stuff I have to take the Mum was holding!), the woman at the counter in the pharmacy (who also has dreams of going to Africa), the woman in the organic shop (who went to south America last year, and who we pondered with on the fact that the people and the scenery are the highlights of trips), as well as three people from church we also saw there! And then there was the blood test woman last week (who around my age went to Egypt and other places which completely opened her eyes), as well as our doctor and physio, and the physio receptionist!

Yesterday at church was great as well - Brad, Joh and I were interviewed by James about the trip at each of the services, and it was such a great and 'gripping' (mind the pun) commissioning - especially having people come up and lay hands on us as we were prayed for, it was really special. At the morning service I had all these older people coming up and clutching me by the arm, wishing me well and saying they were going to pray for me/us - they were so heartfelt, I felt a bit feeble in reply just saying 'thanks, I will!'

Although I have various little fears and worries about the trip, I'm just so glad I'm going on it. I'm excited not just because it's going to be fun, because it's not going to be the whole time. We're going to be facing really confronting things that will probably shock us, and challenge us in ways we may not have been challenged before, I know that. Even just logistically travelling in a group like that, there are going to be grumpy moods and tiredness and (altho hopefully not!) sickness. But that's what I'm looking forward to - being shaken up, and woken up out of my comfort zone. I've got no idea how I'm going to cope, but as someone I was talking to last night said, when you go somewhere like that you kick into survival mode and can be pushed further than you thought - hopefully that'll happen! We're going to be having reflection/Bible study times as a group each night which I think is a good idea, and a relief to know we'll have that time to collect our thoughts and bring what we're thinking and feeling back to God. I want to get to know God more on this trip thru meeting His people, and getting seeing just how similar or different we are, and learning from them! OK, enough talk, I just want to go on the trip now!

Back to study... but the question still remains... do I remain patriotic and stay up (the night before my exam...) to watch the Socceroos take on (and trounce!) Italy? Seeing as it's 10 now I'd say there's a fairly good chance. On ya Socceroos :D!!!! Let's hope we have a vaguely decent umpire this time! :S