Preparations Galore

Imagine that you are told that you will be going on an amazing trip to experience a once-in-a-lifetime event to a country on another continent, in a whole different hemisphere. And you have 4 weeks to prepare! So much to do! Fortunately most of the major stuff is already arranged, like my shots, travel plans, hotel stays, and my sermon. I'm staying at the Safari Court Hotel next to the conference center in Windhoek (pronounced Wind-Took or Vind-Took like in German).

To make things even more wild, one of my layovers will be on a entirely other continent. I get to spend a whole  45 minutes on Qatar, in the Middle East! (North America), Europe, Asia, and now the Middle East and Africa are the continents I will have under my belt after this trip! Now I just have to figure out how to pack my alb in my checked baggage with minimum wrinkles. I'm only allowed 1 checked bag on Qatar Airlines! On the way there (but not the way back) I also have another layover in Johannesburg South Africa. I leave on the 8th and return on the 19th.

I've also reading a lot - like catching up on a class I didn't know I was signed up for! I am reading a few of the essays written specifically for the main theme of the Assembly - Liberated by God's Grace, and for the three sub themes: Salvation: Not for Sale, Creation: Not for Sale, and Human Beings: Not for Sale. You can find it all online on the LWF website, or in book form on Amazon. Great stuff!

I've been reading up on Namibia too - in May the weather is cooler, the highs running in the 70s F, as they head toward the dry season. Around half of the country is Lutheran (90% of the population is Christian). Namibia has 3 Lutheran denominations, and is the companion of my previous synod (NJ). How cool is that?