18 Days and Counting!

It's so hard to believe that in just a few short weeks we will be leaving for South America! As May 24th draws closer, we've been hard at work on the final preparations for our trip.

Traci invited us into her home for dinner to give us a chance to ask any questions we had about our trip and to share some advice that she has learned over the past few years of going on trips like this. One of our biggest concerns was packing. We weren't all sure what exactly to pack, what sort of luggage would be best, and what the airline restrictions are for luggage, etc. We learned several handy packing tips from Traci, who we found out is a packing professional. She showed us pictures from previous trips where she magically packed all of her belongings into her hiking backpack like a perfect little bookshelf. After Traci answered several of our questions, we got to talk to Kyle Glaeser and Kyle Westbrook via Skype. The Kyles are two AFCers who are currently serving abroad in Lima for the semester, and they will be our guides during our stay there. They told us about some of the plans that they have for us while we're there and shared some interesting stories with us about their time in Peru. It was overall a very helpful and informative evening.

Macy and Trenton scheduled an appointment at Buetel, the student health clinic on campus, where they were informed of the possible health concerns we may encounter overseas. Macy and Trent got some recommended vaccinations and an oral medication to prevent against some common diseases for travelers in South America. As you can see from the looks on Trent's face, it wasn't the most fun experience, but I'm sure they both agree that getting a shot or two is better than being ill while we are away.

We recently purchased our plane tickets, and the next step was to get our visas for Brazil. Since today was a dead day at A&M, most of the team took a day trip down to the Brazilian consulate in Houston to get that taken care of. After eating a quick lunch together, we headed to the office in downtown Houston. We ran into a little issue with the payment (they are very particular about the type of payment they accept for visas), and we had to find a post office to purchase a money order. It actually turned into more of an adventure than an obstacle. It was a fun bonding experience before our trip, and now that we have visas, that makes the whole thing even more official.

We're all so excited for our trip, but we still have so much to do to be ready. Keep us in your prayers as we work on meeting our fundraising goal and as we continue preparing spiritually for this journey. Thanks for all your support!


The Few