on the road again...

Ok, so not quite yet, but in less than a week, I'll be in Joao Pessoa, Brazil, one of my favorite places on this earth. I know I'm called to minister to the orphans and I love that calling.
Having adopted and raised 14 internationally adopted orphans, my calling kept me at home for most of their childhoods. I loved that too. For a couple years, I did teach elementary school, but once the children began arriving (4 by birth also), I was so thrilled to be able to be a stay-at-home mom so I didn't have to miss any of the fun! Yes, it was fun! I have to admit, I've never had a "terrible two"...I always called it the terrific twos because I was having such a good time. How is it that no matter what I'm writing or thinking about, it always comes back around to my kids??? Guess that's where my heart's always been.
But, back to the trip. Hopefully all my paperwork will be proper and acceptable when I have my appointment at the Brazilian consulate in Atlanta on Wednesday...because Thursday I leave! So, I'd appreciate everyone's prayers for things to go smoothly because there is no margin for error!
This trip is somewhat exploratory, though I've been to Brazil many times and this particular lovely place a couple times. There is a girls' home that needs updating, renovations and additions, so my "job" is to take pictures, measurements, interview Marta, who runs this home, and find out exactly what needs to be done. I'll then bring all this info back home to our church, The Red Sea, and recruit some men who will go back with me in October to do the building. Though I've led quite a few tours, beginning in high school when I worked for a travel agency, I've not done a builders tour, so this is new territory for me. But as Terry always says, "since when did that stop her?" I'm just naive enough to jump in with both feet and think I can do anything! Of course one of my favorite verses is "with God, all things are possible." (Mark 10:27)
For today, that's all, because there is last-minute shopping to do, packing to organize, and writing homework to finish before I leave. Thank you for praying with/for me as I make the final preparations for this trip.