We are off

So we are off to Kenya tomorrow. I have about a million emotions running through me. The most prominent being, “What in the world are we doing? We are CRAZY!” I am a little anxious to say the least:)

Arathena has been a wreck this week, I am praying that she will do well with all of the travel and adjustments with time and culture that are ahead of us.

I have been super emotional this week as well. I wasn’t sure why and I couldn’t put my finger on it. The more I thought about it the more I realized the hardest thing for me about leaving is leaving my mom. I can’t count how many times my mother has unbuckled Arathena’s car seat base without me knowing only to have Arathena’s car seat completely fall over when I drive. Or the number of times I have had to call “clean-up in aisle 9” at Target because one of the Dynamic Duo (Arathena and my mom) spilled something. Arathena and my mother are a pair, but they are my pair. My mom has Alzheimer’s and I am so sad to leave her. She does drive me crazy more than I would like to admit, but I love her so much. I don’t know how she will do with us being gone. Her brother in NJ will be watching her for a few weeks but I am scared that she will not do well with that change. I have wrestled with this for months; do I go, who will watch her, what if she gets sick? At this point I feel even though I don’t know why I am going to Kenya, it is ok, and God will take care of my mother because He loves her. This is where I need to trust and have faith.

We were asked to keep a blog/journal so that when we come home we can debrief with World Medical Missions about our trip. I really don’t know what to expect this time. I know that for 2 weeks the Bemms will be away and Andy will be the only pediatrician at Tenwek hospital and that will definitely be SCARY. I am hoping to help out in the therapy department but since we have Arathena this time we will see how that goes.

I am excited to see our friends in Kenya, but sad to leave such sweet friends here in Pittsburgh.