Well the time has finally come, our trip starts tomorrow.  I am so excited for this!  We packed up our supplies last night with about 12 suitcases at 50lb. each and 5 at 70lb. each.  Over a thousand lb. of donated supplies, food, toys, etc!  Including some rotten meat! Yea, someone sent a couple of ham steaks in half opened packages….not sure what was up with that but it must have seemed like a good idea at the time.  Anyways, so now we are packed and waiting!  I wonder if I will sleep at all tonight.  Guess it doesn’t matter, maybe I’ll be on Sudan time if I can’t sleep tonight.  I was also touched by our friends three yr old daughter who chose one of her dolls to send over to a little girl in Africa, I must try to get a picture of the child I give it to!  How awesome.  Sometimes I can’t believe this time has actually come, it seems like only yesterday we signed up for the trip but it took forever to get here.  I know it will fly by so fast and everything we worked for will be over and I will know that those people are still over there and I am back in my comfortable little life…..  I miss being there already.  Is that possible?!  There really isn’t much to say, I am just waiting and I can’t wait for this event to change our lives.  We will have a whole new vision of the world as we know it. 

Recently I visited a local Christian Bookstore on a mission to find bibles for my niece & nephew & one for myself.  All I needed was a NLT pocket size version, my mom was looking for children’s bibles for the kids.  So, first I am frustrated by the friendly clerk who asks my mom what church the kids attend, my mom responds & the woman quickly says- OHH YES, let’s see they will need a NIV version then.  Ehh, I think she must have noticed the “what the heck are you talking about” look on our faces & then quickly said- or.. whatever version you would want, of course.  Sorry, but that’s all it takes for me & I have pretty much made up my mind about the type of person this is.  Yea, really Christ like- I know.  Anyways, I was over that quickly, what bothered me next was the (pardon me) rape of the Bible prices.  From $12.00 to $38.00 of the ones I looked at.  They had pretty bibles & trendy bibles & cool bibles & edgy bibles & metal bibles & bibles in plastic boxes & a bible called the “Princess Bible” with a sparkly rhinestone clasp.  I cringed.  All I wanted was a small bible.  I finally found one for $20.00 on sale which I really liked, it was small & light & had very thin pages.  $20.00??? I thought, then I thought- well i would spend that much on a pair of jeans without thinking twice, so why do I hesitate with this?  So I was going to get it.  Then I spotted a $12.00 which was much less “cool” but I decided to get that one instead.  So we settled on the Bibles & went to check out, the same lady tells me that if I sign up for their coupons I can get that Bible for $5.00.  Sweet!  So I sign up & she is like- you didn’t want the $5.00 then?  Ehh… huh?  Well is was a very plain black leather one of the same version that was $5.00 & I said- oh yea, I want the $5.00 one.  She said: well the cover isn’t as nice…. I said, ehm.. it’s the same thing inside right??  She said- oh yea, but the cover just isn’t as nice.  *screaming in my head!!*  So anyways, what’s my point?  Umm, I guess for a minute I thought, well it’s nice they make pretty Bibles for teens & kids… then I thought, well why would they be ashamed to carry any bible… aren’t we just teaching them to hide their faith?  and why do these bibles cost $40???   I’ll admit, I was naturally drawn to the shiny bibles, but I saw through that, why spend $20 when I could spen $5?   Those book stores are filled with all the happy christian things you could ever want, it’s your one stop shop for anything God related.  I just happen to think their prices suck & I don’t understand that.  I don’t understand the ‘bible industry” & their marketing ethics of a book written to save the world.  Maybe I don’t understand why they sell mary & joseph willow tree figurines for $45 either…  Yea, it made me mad. 

As we prepare to leave for our Sudan trip in a week it has me thinking on all sorts of different levels.  I want to be as focused as possible while there to do whatever I can to help.  In preparing I already feel like I see so differently than most of the world around me.  My husband & I have seen things differently for quite some time but I think this whole experience takes it to another level.  So my fit is this, why is everyone just out for themselves?  Why does it seem that no matter where I am, driving, at the store, at the post office, at the bank, all I run into are rude people cutting me off, charging me too much, taking more than their share.  I don’t understand.  I suppose I could say that it is human nature to be full of sin & greed & selfishness, but to me that pretty much sounds like a cop out.  I don’t cut people off in traffic, I don’t take anything from anyone, I don’t flip off other drivers, I don’t sponatiously stop my cart in fron of someone in the store- so why should they?  Because my heart is filled with God’s love & theirs isn’t?  I suppose that is the answer. I try, I really do, I try to not get upset or jump to conclusions about these people, but it makes me want to screm: WHERE IS THE JUSTICE?!!  *sigh*  Maybe I am just upset that our bank felt free to charge us three times to transfer money to a separate account when it was over drawn, ok so it is my fault that I didn’t notice that, but all they did was transfer, which I am sure is automatic.  Then when I tried to transfer online it said I had reached my transfer limit for the account.  Sure, they feel free to rob me of $75 but won’t allow me to transfer the money so it doesn’t happen again.  Out for themselves??  Of course.  I can not wait to get out of here for a couple of weeks & be in a place where their biggest concern is what am I going to eat today??  Where am I going to find food & medicine?  Me, worried about $75 when they are dying.  I am frustrated & disappointed in the world we live in.  One person’s opinion, one very pissed off person. 

I stumbled across the OOAK Guild website a couple of days ago & I am so glad I did!  Anything you would want to know about sculpting & art is there.  The friendliest people are there too.  Great tutorials, forums, galleries, everything! They also want to help each other, no secrets kept!  What a concept!  So I was way excited to find this place.  If you are looking for a place to meet cool people & learn a lot & share too, I recommend you join! http://ooakguild.com/