News-less and loving it!

Okay blog buddies, I didn't post on here the past few days but a blurb, so indulge me while I give a little longer update today...

Well my friends, it's Fun Friday and I am news-less! I have not been watching the news, nor reading the paper, and I immediately click the exit box on the news screen when it comes up on my computer. I've been on a fast from the TV and news media for 3 days now. It's been glorious. You should try it sometime. I get on the computer to correspond and answer my mountain of email (sorry if I haven't gotten to yours yet), blog and research and write messages. Other than that, I'm totally media-free. Yippee!

Most of my friends know, I love Fox News. My hubby says I'm "addicted". Well I guess I'm proving him wrong right now that I can snap the TV off cold turkey if I want to. Everyone has their favorites I'm sure, but Fox is my favorite. I'm probably the only woman whose dream would be to have Bill O'Reilly, Neil Cavuto, Sean Hannity, Shepherd Smith, Greta VanSusteren and the rest of the Fox news crew at my birthday party. I have contemplated inviting Hannity and his family to Thanksgiving dinner this year just to see what they would say. Hey, it wouldn't hurt to try. The worst they can say is no. Seriously...it would be my dream to just sit around the table and talk to the Fox News team. I like them so much. Just hearing their voices feels like "family" to me. But alas I've been without those friendly and comforting Fox news voices for a few days and I am basically doing these things:

1) Praying
2) Working (a LOT getting ready for Africa!)
3) Reading the Word
4) Spending time with my family and friends. I just finished watching the DVD of my son giving his most recent speeches in his college class where in the last one he proclaimed to everyone in his class his faith in Jesus Christ and his commitment to live a lifestyle of purity! Yeah! Go Dustin! The class at his secular college burst into applause at the end of the speech. Awesome, huh? Jordan also just modeled his new soccer uniform for us. He plays Varsity Soccer for the High School - first game is this weekend! Can't wait!
5) Listening to music
6) Cleaning and packing

I don't know when I'll start watching the news again ~ I guess as the Lord leads is the answer to that. Along with spending time in prayer and worship I've been busy doing several weeks of work at once to cover everything while I'm in Africa. Right now the work seems like a huge mountain in my path and I still have 13 projects that I counted just a minute ago that still have to be done before I leave. By now you might be asking why I'm sitting here blogging if I have all this to do. The answer is that I need a mind break once in a while to just enjoy writing something without heavy concentration and when I'm standing up and and working I get tired after a while and need to sit.

Sue and I are so excited for the trip to Kenya. Oh how I love my friends there. I have thought about them constantly since last November and can't wait to get back. I'm trying not to go overboard in my excitement. That might sound kind of odd, but this week I have had a really bad cold. I've been taking medication although I'm trying to taper off now because it makes me lose my voice with the antihistimine drying out my throat. I've been using a vaporizer in my room and trying to get rid of all these symptoms. Stuffy nose, and runny nose. (How does that happen at once??), Sneezing, sore throat, headache. You know the drill. Well, I'm sure the cold came on because I've been running hard (even while in Phoenix, with the conference schedule, time change, long days, etc.) and now I stay up late working. When I do lay my head on the pillow it's hard to sleep from all the excitement of what's coming on our trip! When I was a little girl my parents never told me we were going somewhere until we actually got in the car to go. So many times of getting sick due to getting so worked up taught them to keep future special events from me until the last minute. If they told me in advance I would keep asking, "when, when, when?" and "how many more days until?" and I would get so worked up with anticipation I would actually get sick. I would stay up unable to sleep, and get so emotionally overwrought and run down, I'd get a headache, or stomach ache, or even throw up. All of this wasn't from nervousness, but pure excitement not being able to wait for "the big event". I guess I'm an adreneline junkie or get a tad emotional with glee when it comes to events or trips. Just one more idiosyncracy you folks never knew about me til' now. I'm always telling our church people, "I can't wait for this!" and I can't wait for that!" and they probably think it's just some redundant babble but the truth is, I really DO get that excited and worked up over special things til' I almost get sick over it! When I say, "I'm going to burst if I have to wait one more minute!" sometimes it's true!

Thanks to all who have given special things for my precious ladies in Africa. I was looking at all of it today and don't know how I'll fit it into the suitcases. Cathy and I were shaking our heads at how this will be accomplished. I might have to pay for an extra box or two to take along, so be praying about that. You know how expensive it's becoming to take even a second suitcase when you fly let alone another box or two. I'm sure God will provide - just keep it in your prayers. We have a ton of scarves, jewelry, lip balms, kleenex, sunglasses, books for some of their leaders, and other things.

If you are wanting to be on the list of people who are praying for me while I'm there please email me. I have a list of people that have committed to pray and I will send an email update while there if the internet connection is good. Sometimes it's so slow or you get booted off but I'm going to try each day. If it doesn't work, I will text my husband and ask him to email my update to you. Thanks to those of you who already have told me you are praying. Melissa and her husband are going on a fast the whole time I'm there, for this purpose! I am amazed at the wonderful people God has brought into my life who are such strong warriors. Some of you reading this are those people...thank you. It means more than you can ever imagine.

I carry a list with me in my bible while I'm gone of the people who have committed to pray for me. I have to be honest with you, I don't "love" flying. I don't freak out in fear or anything, but it's just something I quietly tolerate to get from one place to another, especially to see friends or family or to share the gospel. But when turbulence comes, as it sometimes does for 15 minutes at a time on a long flight, I just pull out my bible and list, and read it and it gives me peace right away. When I'm sitting in the airport over a long layover, I pull the list out and remind myself of all the people praying on my journey. When I'm up late at night in Africa the night before I have to preach wondering if I've got the right message and if I'm really ready, I pull out the list and realize all the people who are praying with me for the touch of God. This gives me more confidence that God is going to show up and do something amazing that only He can do. If you are on my "list" I see your name quite a bit that week as it constantly reassures me as I read it over and over.

Well my friends, this is the end of my long update tonight. Signing off now to get a project or two done...yes it's my day off technically however I'll never get it all done this week if I don't work some on Fun Friday! Besides, Larry has hospital visitation today so it won't truly be a day off this week anyway so I might as well work too.

Toodles for now...your friend sitting in a quiet room...