Journey through this Past Year

Merry Christmas! 
Rejoice!

Isaiah 61:10
I delight greatly in the Lord.
My soul rejoices in my God.
For He has clothed me with
garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a
robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns
his head like a priest, and
as a bride adorns
herself with her jewels.

Thank you all for your continued love and friendship.  May this season bring blessing to your hearts and lives.

2018 has been good in the Jerozal family.   Not without its challenges in the journey, but surprises and peace along the way despite them. 

Jas is in 8th grade and growing up....literally UP.  He has now grown past his Mama.  He has done really well academically and embracing the challenge of a greater homework and academic load this year.  Integral to who he is is his need to be active.  Cross country and soccer have provided structure to that need, and he is pursuing new physical endeavors.  More on that in next year's letter.  In addition, he and his teachers are further discovering his leadership and public speaking skills.   Jas continues to enjoy serving pre-school aged kids at church and willingly joins us in different family serving opportunities.  How cool it is to witness the emergence of a young man with good character and good friends.  We pray he carries this through and is strengthened by God in these things through manhood.

Ang is in 6th grade this year.  Yes, we have TWO middle schoolers.  How'd that happen?!  Transitioning has been fairly easy for Ang, who is very much enjoying this new school year and setting.  She too is testing out and uncovering different abilities.  She debuted in her first play, Night At the Wax Museum as 72-year-old Ivy Sweet.  As parents, we go in with bated breath to seeing her perform in front of a crowd. But both in the summer when she sang a solo in a local musical production, and when she performed in the school play this year, we were excited, surprised, and relieved that she does very well in these areas. She is definitely talented.  Through these avenues, she also has made and enjoys new friends while continuing to be loyal to and grateful for her long-time friends.  Her giftedness in violin goes on and is maturing, and this year she has moved up to the next orchestra level in the Elgin Youth Symphony orchestra (EYSO).  They've had their first concert in November and it was lovely!   She also began serving in the nursery with 2-year olds on Sundays, and those toddlers love her. 

JJ has had a very full year.  He and I did retrieve a little bit of margin in our schedules as we rolled off the church elder board after our four-year term.  With those extra minutes, he is able to serve as president of a non-profit started by a friend of ours to raise money for our BD partner CSS and their ministries.   In addition to the many ebbs and flows in his job at Nicor Gas/ Southern Co that he leads and his team effectively through, he participates in an employee focus group with interests in southeast Asia and is able to highlight CSS there too.  His admirable leadership skills extend beyond work, and he led a team of 11 of us to BD to visit with CSS and our sponsored children there.  You can read about that in detail in previous blog posts on this site.  JJ's gifts of leadership,  encouragement and wisdom shone and our whole team found it easy to follow and trust him.   In the few other moments of margin in  his life, he grows in his personal faith, enjoys gardening and harvesting, and is trying to unravel the mystery of the two middle-schoolers in our home, with their moods and concerns.

As for me, this year has provided a little more personal space and I endeavor to make the most of it.  I am still meeting with my Syrian friend to encourage her English skills.  I've joined a Tues AM Bible study with a great group of down to earth  gals, while JH and I  also maintain our place in the couple's group we've been part of for years.  The rest of open space in my time has allowed some new things.  I have really enjoyed rallying women to grow and serve together.   I've been able to participate and sometimes host group discussions over thought provoking books and how the concepts in them impact our lives.   Together we also serve friends going through challenging times.   The prayer and support we all feel gets us through some of the deep valleys we each walk through.   I am grateful for this community.  Our longest time friends are now scattered throughout the U.S. now, but we still stay close and prioritize visits .  None of us know what's ahead, but we each trust our good God to provide what we need, even through hard things. 

Thank you for your part in our lives.  We are deeply grateful.

BD 2018 - Reflections

Home.  I do love it.  I'm grateful for my "tribe", our house, the friends who we walk through this life alongside, the training ground for my kids in relationships and issues of life, and the faith community we belong to.

And yet...

I already miss the simplicity of life in the culture we've just been a guest in for a week.  Simple, not easy.  Just fewer trappings to hide behind and be distracted by.

Reverse culture shock is normal.  Part of our debrief with our team includes anticipating what we may face when stepping back into our culture which is very different from where we've just been.  We need to deal with being torn away from the setting where we were learning so many things...about this other people group, about forming relationships with them, about each other on the team, about God,  about ourselves.  We bonded as a team and are now scattered back into lives that were put on pause when we left for BD together.
Each of us now grapples with how our experience on the other side of the world is meant to fit into every day life as we've known it thus far.  All while also trying to function through the fog of jetlag.  Which is not for faint-hearted, believe me.

I certainly am still in this process.   Having participated in teams to BD several times, you'd think this becomes easier somehow.   Not so, I'm realizing.  Each trip has its own dynamic, its own new things,  its own perspective.  The lessons that rise to the surface will happen over time and what they mean to my life will continue to emerge periodically.

For now, let me tell you what my current "take aways" from this trip have been:

1.  The trip is not always all about the trip.  When God prompts us to "go" and we obey, we often find that the first purpose of this invitation is NOT about us being needed to help somewhere.  We are not called because we are in some position of strength.  Instead, our weaknesses somehow expose themselves and we are faced with our own need of God and Him showing Himself despite us.  Being away from our familiar can give our hearts room to recognize things we may have been pushing aside, trying to ignore.  As leaders on this trip, JJ and I are accessible to the team and therefore witness this phenomenon in others.   I have gone through this myself on different short missions.  This time though, we were humbled at the privilege  to peek into the lives of other teammates and witness this happening in their own hearts.  God is good and He is big and His love for us so fierce He uses ANY situation in our lives to speak to and transform us.  That leaves me in wonder.  He allows me to see and understand His great wisdom and artistry in His power to impact change for our good in unsuspecting moments.

2.  Encouragement.  JJ and I sponsor 2 girls to be housed,  get more nourishing food, and get a Christian education at HoB.  You've seen the pictures in previous posts.  What you don't see is that one of the girls was born as a result of her birth mom employed by a  brothel.  Usually HoB kids whose life originated in a brothel are kept separately housed, due to the stigma given- even though these kids dont have control over where they were born.  SO...going into this trip and knowing that CSS was arranging to make sure both our girls were present during our visit, I was unsure of how our daughter from the brothel would fare in the gen-pop of the other HoB girls.  What we witnessed is both our girls having a genuine, sisterly friendship with each other...talking, laughing, holding hand, helping each other.  That was seriously heart warming and greatly encouraging.
We still pray for both of them, as one has grown up longer in HoB and seems to own her faith in the Way, while the other shows signs that the religion of the majority in BD is still hers.  Until I can see them again,  I pray the One True God reveals Himself further to each of them, and that they each apply themselves to their studies so they can test into the nursing program following their HoB years.  I also pray that their hearts grow even more in kindness and compassion.

3.  Vision.  JJ and I were able to spend time with CSS's leader and prayerfully discuss how our future teams can encourage what God is doing.  Given the origin of one of our girls,  I am excited to explore the opportunity to offer a rehab program for women choosing to exit brothel life.  CSS has had such a program in the past,  but the funding has decreased and they have not been able to offer it in years. It's a wonderful program that offers counseling,  Bible teaching, skill training and, upon successful completion, a bit of land far removed from their former way of life and a microloan to help start a legitimate business.  A few years ago Jim and I met a beneficiary of that rehab program who is now married to a police officer and is a strong women's advocate in the country.  We will continue to research ways to assist the program to launch again, and perhaps be able to take small teams of women to help run special clinics for women in the program.  Much prayer and wisdom is needed.

There may so be opportinities to help in the Technical School with skills-building, as well as the possiblity to take a small medical team to assist at CSS's hospital and/or nursing school.  The nursing school is still being built (right next to the hospital), and hopes to start up soon.  Students have already been accepted into the program and are awaiting the date of classes beginning.

So, lots to think and pray through.

Thank YOU for you interest and prayers and support.   None of it is wasted.  You have been a part of this team.  Many of you will continue in your involvement from here as time goes on.  Blessing to you all.

Friday.  Only a couple hours with the Home of Blessings students and then begins the long journey back to home.

Once we finished our tasty Bengali breakfast, we loaded into our transports one last time. Waiting for us were all 280 girls. As we have experienced in the past, the school likes to send us off with a taste of what the girls can do, and of Bengali culture. We were shown to our seats and from there we took in the girls' breathtaking performances, and got to participate in worshipping with them, and doing a little bit of dancing with them. The time passed so quickly. The girls were beautiful and gracious and talented and inviting. It was difficult after such a time together to have to say goodbye. Our team enjoyed one last tea with the staff there, and the daughters we support through monthly sponsorship hunted us down to say goodbye.  It was very emotional and bittersweet- how special to visit them, spend time with them, hug them and look into their eyes.  Yet how sad to have to leave and be so far apart.  There is no other option, at this point though, so a few tears, hugs and waves later, off we went to head to the places God has given us as home. 

Our team stayed overnight  near the Emirates on the way home and had the opportunity to share and process and debrief our experiences while also getting some rest before the final 15 hour flight home. 

Thanks for all you who have checked in, prayed, and taken care of my kiddos. 

More thoughts and reflections in a final post coming up.  What we took away from this experience will be shared there.

Last full day

Thursday already.  Wow.  Full days and tired bodies, yet time is flying.

The final day of teaching by our veteran teammate (15 visits of love with these beautiful folks under her belt) asked the LTP students to prayerfully consider "How Much More?"  Students were challenged to wrestle through how much MORE of pursuing God and the work of His Spirit -in and through them - they really wanted.

JJ and I didn't get to participate in the teaching time as we met with CSS's leader to discuss expansion of future ministry opportunities.  Together we explored options for bringing a medical team, for sex-worker rehab, an English language camp and teaching further skills to those in the technical training institute.  We will continue to research and pray through these ideas.

We were able to catch a ride back for the end of the LTP discussion time, and to spend a little time saying goodbye to them.  Continue to pray that this generation of followers of the Way be strengthened and emboldened to live, love, demonstrate and speak the Gospel. 

This afternoon back with the younger kids was a treat.   Lots of energy as we were singing together.  Once more our team assisted the day's message of Gods lo e through His Son as our teammate who's been playing J sus washed the feet of 12 girls who represented the 12 disciples.  Then our other teammate dramatically presented Jesus's death and resurrection from the perspective of Mary Magdalene.   Kudos to her...her presentation was impressive anyway, but even more so since she did it so well even through a translator!   The Gospel was acted out and an invitation to respond given.  The whole room came upfront seeking to know Jesus or know Him more.

As the girls returned to sit and complete a final craft,  each of us felt the bond between us all.  The girls made decorative stamps while a couple team members set up games and prepped water ballons for a carnival time.  HUGE  hit!!  Even though the games never really got played.  The 500+ water ballons drew all the attention and quickly our thoughts of organized games descended into barely controlled chaos.  Basically,  a giant water ballon fight ensued.  The two girls JJ and I sponsor participated too. And really...it was a blast.   The whole thing.  Chaos and all.  These nearly 300 girls just got to freely play and be silly.  One of the workers there,  also one of our translators, said that he was so happy to see the girls laughing  and enjoying the time.  It was so good for them.  And it was special to be able to PLAY with our two girls among them.  After the last ballon was broken and every drop of water flew, we and our damp friends got to hang out some more and have dinner together.  Before saying good bye for the night,  we were invited into the girl's dorms, where they proudly showed us their rooms, and swept us into dancing circles as they sang some of their traditional songs of praise and Christmas (so we were told).   Finally, we had to give our last hugs and waves and head back to sleep and pack before our short, last visit the next morning.

Midweek Mayhem

JJ and I (and really, most of the team) tend to not sleep well when we've traveled here to the opposite side of the globe.   It's just something we accept as part of the experience.   We usually use that wake time in the dead of night to pray, read and/or prepare.   I used that time to prep for the teaching I was to do on this Wednesday.   JJ and I also chit chatted some, then went back to sleep.

Stop tape and rewind 3 years.  The night before Jim was meant to teach in the LEadership Training Program (LTP) for university age students, he woke me up  in the middle of the night to ask if I was getting bitten by bugs.   We slept in the same bed,  but I was fine.  We turned the light on to find that indeed he had visible bites and a few welts to boot.  But no bugs to be found. The invisible opposition to our teaching Gods love and truth to the next generation of His faithful here in BD was real and the effect right there for our eyes to see.   He went on to teach, even with one of the welts swelling his lip, and Gods Word strengthened many.

Fast forward to yesterday, the day before my time to teach, and the team prayed for me because i had crazy pain in my one hip the night before, making it hard to even walk.  Very unusual for me.  After prayer, that pain did not flair up again.

Fast forward once more to this early morning Wednesday.... at around 4am, JJ and I turned lights out to doze for a couple hours before the day began and I was to teach that morning, and when I got up around 6:30am, my right eye looked like a dented water ballon.  Crazy swollen for no apparent reason.  Once again the team went to prayer (with a bit of raised voice and animation I hear 😃),  and as the morning went on,  the swelling came down so that from a short distance, the puffiness was not really obvious.

So....all that drama before 9am, yet I stood before the LTP students to be a vessel through which God challenged us all to consider 2 more questions: What are You Seeking? and Why Are You Afraid?
To answer What Are You Seeking? requires looking at the true desires of our hearts.  We will seek satisfaction for what we believe our greatest needs and desires are.  God declares that our hearts are to recognize HIM as our greatest need and desire.  We looked at Solomon who,  when given the opportunity in the very presence of God to ask for ANY thing,  he sought Gods wisdom and to rule His people well.  In response, God gave Solomon just that AND was pleased to grant Solomon wealth and great honor among his people as well.  After searching some additional Scripture we learn that a heart who desires God most of all will seek humility,  wisdom from God, to be in His presence often, and to bring others to God.  Yet, we often deal with fear, so Jesus asks Why Are You Afraid?  A handful of passages from Matthew and Luke demonstrate God is well aware of the things we are afraid of:  not having what we need when we need it, fear of the unknown in following God, fear of damage and life-risk due to natural disaster, fear of not having the right words about our faith when we need them.  Life experiences also reveal our fear of rejection and loneliness.  Why are we afraid?  We of little faith don't have that faith in the right place.  Looking at the prophet Daniel's friends who publically refused to bow to the nation's idols at command of the king.  The king's anger sent them to their death in an uber hot furnace, adding the arrogance of statement "what god can save you now?" (paraphrased). Their response was faith in God Himself, whether He rescued them or not.  The worst they could face was eclipsed by their faith that God is good, in this life AND the next.  Students were then able to have small group discussion to begin to process their personal answers to those questions.

Lunch this day was a special treat - outside by the river.  Beatiful, relaxing, refreshing.

Day 2 with the younger kids was another blessing as our team acted out a couple of Jesus' miracles to emphasize His great love and tender attentiveness to our cries to Him for help.  Our dramatically gifted teammate gave her testimony as well.  We then had the chance for spending time among the girls as we assisted them to make beads for a necklace.  The craft itself less important than just being with the girls and loving them.  We all had full hearts as the day closed.  

Perfect Imperfection

Our full first day began with Scripture reading, discussion,  prayer, AND Bengali  breakfast (chapati,  potato-carrot-onion hash, scrambled egg).  Excellent fuel...all of it.

Though JJ and I have been here multiple times, there is always something new to experience.   As we traveled to Home of Blessing in the morning, amidst the dense and crazy traffic here was...an ELEPHANT! With a local riding it.  Definitely a WOW! sight.

On this first of three days of teaching university age students, one of our team members challenged the young people to learn from and pray through the first 2 of 5 questions.  These 1st two questions were:
Where Are You? (Hiding from GOD? On a Journey With God? Bringing others to God?)
and
Who Told you That? (What is the source of the things we believe about God and ourselves?).   These questions come from another study published for groups, but those teaching on our team have taken the 5 questions and prayerfully developed the teaching from Scripture to provide a foundation that students could use to answer these for themselves.   After the teaching time (and tea break that can't be missed!😊), the group of young people (about 50 in number) split into 4 small groups to spend some time in led silent prayer, journaling through a few more related questions, and had some discussion to aid them in dealing with their hearts and minds before God and honestly answering the main questions for themselves.   This small group time resulted in some connections our team members made with students, and some students voiced the challenges they face living their faith in a country where there is only a reported .04%  of 167 million people with this same faith in this country.   With the language barrier (so thankful for good translators!) and cultural differences between us, it can be hard to really be "heart to heart" with the young folks,  yet Gods spirit was moving and doing His work despite the seeming imperfections of the situation. 

Later in the afternoon,  we returned to spend time with the younger kids.   280 of them.  I can't imagine  that ANYone could NOT be cheered by their wide,  eager eyes and bright, contagious smiles!
We have a a team member gifted in creatively sharing God's good news with youth.   Or whole team participated in a mimed version of the Christmas story and the hope of our Saviour coming. Didn't exactly come across as smoothly as we'd hoped, but no worries.  The girls already had their own version prepared and blew ours out of the water.  😄  Still, they loved it all. Then one of our team members gifted in dramatic communication began to tell of the hope of God's son coming to rescue us.

The next hour and a half was spent by the 11 of us helping the 280 girls create a fun decorated poster celebrating the hope of God's  son.

Once we'd returned for dinner, everyone was ex exhausted to the bone,  fighting to keep awake just through the meal.   Thus ended our Tuesday in BD.

A far off country

Oh friends,  for those of us who have had to wait several years to return to our friends in Bangladesh, it is so sweet to be back here!   It is a long journey to this far off country, but so worth it!

After arriving in the capital city at about 2am, we were grateful to have a comfortable place to stretch out and rest for a few hours, then eat from a nice breakfast buffet before loading a domestic flight and and then a van for a 2+ hour ride.  When the team finally got to our final destination,  the struggle to keep pace with the late afternoon/ early evening activities was real!

The Home of Blessings grounds also house the Hope Technical Institute.  Here young folks can learn a trade...carpentry, auto mechanic, civil engineering, computer tech, fashion design (sewing), cooking/nutrition and beauty school.  Out team toured the facilities, and it is encouraging to see a place that is helping young people to be equipped for a productive future.

From here we went across the street where we were greeted by the nearly 300 girls of Home of blessings.  The two girls JJ and I sponsor came to meet us and held our hand through the procession created by the other girls lined up to welcome our team through.  The smiles and waves were so warm and genuine.  And so ended day 1.

Some pictures

After arriving in the capital city, we were able to rest for a few hours then have breakfast and begin our journey to our final destination in-country.  Included are a few pictures of sites along the way.  

And then, tired as we were, we were able to visit with the younger students for a short time.  What joy!

The Journey begins soon!

In just a little over 24 hours from right now, our team of 11 will assemble for prayer before loading into a van with trailing vehicles holding our luggage, and heading to O'Hare Airport.  Our team has had to pray through and invite God to conquer several difficulties that have arisen in the past couple of weeks.  He has answered many prayers, so we leave tomorrow ALREADY with joy having experienced God's love and power on our behalf.  Thank you for praying thus far. 

One of our team members has put together an excellent daily prayer list that equips you with specifics for continued prayer.  That content is below.

Please also pray for our two middle school kiddos and the awesome team of folks loving on and taking care of them while we are gone. JJ and I could not travel and minister together without them. We are blessed indeed!

I will try to update this blog daily when we are on the ground there...depending on electricity being on and wifi working.😋

Thank you so much! And may God bless you with peace and compassion. 

Love, JJ and Andrea

Bangladesh Prayer Guide
October 20-28

Please pray for:

Safe travels/no delays, etc. Eleven of us will be traveling for a day and a half on three different planes each way. That  our luggage will be with us. That we will be able to sleep on the plane. That our connections work out. That we get from one plane to the next.  That we can be a good witness as we travel. We will be with our partners CSS from 10/22-10/26 (Remember there is about a 12 hour time difference.)

Health  for all of us. That we remain healthy, That we remember to drink only bottled water. That we remember to use the insect repellant.

Stamina for the team. We will have full days

In the mornings we will be teaching with the LTP students. These are young adults who have been part of CSS and are currently college age and the next generation for Bangladesh. That we make heartfelt  connections. That the teachings are clear in presenting the God honoring questions. That the translators understand the topics and can explain them well. That the message will be internalized and remembered.   For God to use us and our stories as we share in break out groups.

In the afternoon we will have teaching/worship with Home Of Blessing girls. There will be approximately 300 girls who live in dormitories that will be attending. We will be running a VBS type program with a skit and worship. That the stories will be understood as the translators express the meaning of the Bible account.

Crafts…that all goes well. That we have enough supplies. That we are able to have fun with the girls. That they will  enjoy the time together and their projects

That we will provide general encouragement for CSS staff, the girls, and all those we encounter.

That we provide support and encouragement for each member of our team, and we love and respect each other unconditionally.

That we are on the edge of out seats in anticipation of the wondrous and small things that God is orchestrating.

Boldness to step out in faith and be open to trust in God in all that we do.

As we return home that we would be able to express the the feelings and work of the Holy Spirit that we experienced on our trip.

Return to BD Oct 20-28

Greetings family and friends!

Today is the first official day of  Fall.  I always have mixed feelings about this day because I am a summer-lover!  I spend as much time soaking the heat into my bones as I can, wishing I could store it up for use during our cold winters here. 

The Jerozal summer was a full one - family vacation out west, kids to camps, a couple other mini-trips, and poof - it was over.  With the beginning of school came the adjustment to homework load and juggling extra curriculars. 

So, here we are now.  If you've been around us at all over these past months, you likely have heard us speak of our upcoming next Christ Community Church GO Team trip to our partner,  CSS (Christian Service Society  http://cssbd.org/ ).  We are VERY excited to return to visit our Bangladesh friends, as we have been unable to travel there the since 2015 due to unrest in the country.  Today, the atmosphere is much calmer, opposition has been securely quieted, and our partners  have had several other Western visitors with no worries for their safety. 

Jim and I are pleased to lead a team of nine others to minister to young people associated with CSS through both their Home of Blessings boarding school for school age kids, and Leadership Training Program (LTP), aimed at college age students.  You can learn more about these programs on the website listed above.  Our team is excited, talented, energetic and poised to be used by God to encourage our brothers and sisters half way across the globe (literally!) to stay strong and continue growing in their faith amidst a culture whose majority religion can be hostile to those who express their love for their Savior.  At the same time, we are humbled and privileged to be invited to witness what God is doing in this densely populated country and in these beautiful young people.  It is the common experience of those of us able to say yes to this invitation that we will be as impacted by God's Spirit and His global perspective as perhaps those we are there to serve.  The team will be teaching, leading worship singing, and presenting dramatic interpretation of Scripture stories related directly to  His good news.  In addition, we get to sit among the country's future leaders in the LTP and facilitate discussion about real life challenges in staying true to their faith and the relevance of how God addresses these challenges in His Word. 

As our loved and trusted family and friends, Jim and I ask that you be a part of our team.  You can be a vital member of our GO Team to BD .  We and our team need your prayers on our behalf.  Please do NOT underestimate the importance and impact of your interceding to God with and for us.  Closer to the time of our departure, I will post prayer points directly related to our timeline on the trip itself. 

For now, if you would consider being an active participant in a team of pray-ers that plead on our behalf from now through our return from this short mission, we would be SOOOO grateful!
Our desire is that this team of prayer partners pray once or twice a week for us prior to the our departure, and then daily if possible while the trip is in progress.  Believe it or not, prayers that continue a week or two after our return is also helpful, as adjusting back to our schedule and culture, and trying to process how the experience of our time in BD fits into life back home can be challenging. 

PLEASE let us know if you can be a part of this prayer team by replying to the email you received that included the link to this letter in our blog, or send a Facebook PM.  Jim and I would love to thank each of you who pray for us individually.  You cannot know how much it means to us for you to commit to this.  Here is what you can be praying for prior to our October 20 departure:

1.  For safety and health of each of our team members prior to October 20. 

2.  For perseverance through any trial that comes up between now and then, and that nothing prevents any team member from continuing through this short mission.

3.  For Jim and I - the health and safety of our 2 kids.   Last year prior to a trip to India, our daughter was quite ill and we weren't sure I could still go.  Thankfully, she recovered just before we had to leave and stayed well while we were gone.  Also pray for peace in their hearts and minds while we're so far away.  This is rarely an issue, so pray it stays that way. 

4.  For full funding of our team members.  Individuals raise their own funds, encouraging others to partner in this trip and invest in eternal dividends.  Jim and I have been blessed in many ways and are not seeking funding for ourselves, but if you would like to donate to this trip and team, you may do so through this link, designating your donation as for "The Entire Team": 
https://ccc.managedmissions.com/Donations/Donate/31923  Your donation is tax deductible.  Our team is currently 84% funded. 

5.  For the part of our BD team who will be serving by taking care of our home and kiddos while we're away. Grandparents and overnights at friends on weekends, and our sitter staying with the kids during the school week - health, safety, good communication. 

6.  Finally, for team logistics to come together:  supplies, lessons, packing, rides etc. 

Thanks SOO much to all of you for reading through this and taking the time to consider whether you can partner with us.  We love you and look forward to providing you more details about the upcoming venture and reporting the many blessings  of  our experiences upon return. 

With love -