Preparations--and Waiting

I got a call yesterday from my contact at UMVIM.

He got in touch with one of the contacts in Poland, and this is what I know from him:

The person in Poland who must approve my trip is on holiday. The other contact, who will likely be my supervisor in Poland suggested two possibilities: One, that I might, as planned, work in the school in either Elk or Ostróda (I forget which); Two, that I might go to another city, where they plan to start a new school.

My departure has been moved back to Sept. 28.

I was emotionally ready to leave now, because I am anxious to get started. However, I must be flexible. I must remember flexibility.

I will spend this extra time getting things I didn't think I had time to get. I will spend this time learning more about the Polish language. I will spend this time wisely, I hope. I will spend this time anxiously awaiting the task God has put before me.

The interesting thing about my preparations is that many of the things I thought would be easy to get have been difficult or impossible to find. Some of the things I thought would be hard to get have been almost effortless to obtain.

FLASH! I just received an email. My departure should be in mid-September, with my work beginning around the first of October.

I will be working in either Ostróda or Iława.

If I go to Iława, I will be helping to start a new school!

Pray for me.

I stayed up late and called Poland in the wee hours (here... over there it was mid-morning).

They desire my arrival as soon as I can manage it, and I will meet with the pastor in Ostróda, since he speaks English, and go from there to Iława, where they want to start offering classes.

All I need to do now is get the necessary Delta SkyMiles together (get information from people who've offered them) and book my flight.

I want to thank all of you who have supported me.

I'll be getting in touch with you soon.

The wait is over. Almost.

My flight leaves tomorrow. It's been frustrating to wait, but I've gotten some things done that needed doing. I have discovered some interesting things.

Okaloosa County is NOT travel oriented or travel conscious. I had a very difficult time locating travel-related items. I looked everywhere for one item and was still unable to locate it.

Travelling as a missionary is much more expensive than travelling as a tourist. I never realized how much stuff a missionary has to obtain.

Depending to whom you speak, a single airline may vary widely in how helpful they will be. We called the toll-free number and spoke to a man who said we couldn't do what we want, and after hanging up, dialed the same number and got a very nice lady who helped us set up what we want to do. Thank God for that lady. Yesterday was frustrating, and we were almost through the ceiling when we reached her.

In suitcases, bigger is better. I haven't (according to the bathroom scale) run into the weight restriction, but I had trouble packing everything I wanted to take (and even had to remove several CDs).

So, I leave tomorrow. I'm very nervous right now. I'm also excited. I'm also slightly frightened. This is a huge step for me.

I still have many things to do, and I don't know how I'll get them done. I had two dreams this morning that I missed the same appointment today. That's all for this update.

I need to pack this computer away, copy files I'll need, set up my mom's computer to access the internet, and print out some information for my mom. It shall be a busy day. Thank you all for your prayers and support.