"Ready" is a relative word...

I'm counting down the hours before I leave for China. Latest number is 28 hours until I leave for the airport. In the last week, I've had dozens of people ask me, "Are you ready for your trip?"

I have no idea how to answer that...

Am I packed? Yes (well, mostly...)

Do I have everything done that I planned to do before the trip? Nope. Not even close. But has ANYONE EVER really done that?

Are all the logistics in place? Yes. But things never go exactly as planned. I've got an entry visa, a plane tickets, housing plans, and the training schedule is ready. Now let's all pretend for a moment that everything will go the way we've drawn it up...

Is my family ready for me to be gone? And am I ready to be apart from them? This is a tougher question. I always feel like I'm missing so much when I'm not there. When I come home, Ben will look at least a couple inches taller- that's the nature of 13-year-old boys. Angela will have new bff- that's the nature of 10-year-old girls. Even though I'll be gone for less than two weeks, there are always a few moments that I'll miss. And I'll never get them back. But somehow, we all survive. And even thrive. Apparently God has all of us in his hands. So we're less than a hands-breadth apart...

Am I ready for the spiritual, emotional, cultural, and physical challenges? Not a chance... but God is ready. In every way, this task of "training leaders around the world" is too big for me. Too big for anyone. But God continually shows that He's big enough. And that's more valuable than any preparation I do.

Do I have enough prayer support? You tell me...

PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) My preaching opportunities in DeMotte, IN before I leave (Sunday morning and evening, March 6).
2) Last minute packing, planning, etc. I leave for the airport at 3:45 am on Monday, March 7.
3) Our training team of Alan Ginn, Ron Verwys, and myself. That's we'd be faithful, focused, and unified.
4) That we'd stay "under the radar", and that the local authorities wouldn't really notice our activities.