Less than a week until we depart

I read a devotional today that talked about how we can allow ourselves brief moments of wishing for what isn’t, and then choose to savor and be thankful for what is.

So while I do wish I had more time to sleep (and exercise!), I am also grateful for a full life. And while I wish we had more time to prepare for Ghana, I am thrilled that I am leaving in less than a week.

This week, it has felt like every time I cross one thing off my “MUST DO before I leave” list, another two magically take its place. Luckily, with less than a week to go, I can focus on what has already been accomplished.

• Most of the logistics are complete: Karen graciously agreed to drive me to LAX, my tickets are purchased, I have a valid passport and visa, and my living arrangements in Takoradi have been handled by CDC (it’s a welcome change to have someone taking care of the in-country logistics for me!)
• Even though my job has been especially busy this last month, it has served to reinforce why teams are so important – several of my CSC colleagues have picked up the slack by scheduling conference calls, creating discussions in the social networking site we’re using, gathering data and posting it on the site, finding pre-recorded conference calls on relevant topics, and more (and I’m learning to be gracious when I am on the receiving end of this assistance)
• We haven’t met each other face-to-face yet, and our team has already been very supportive of each other (I can’t WAIT to meet them all in person)
• Despite the chaos and general lack of sleep, I haven’t gotten sick (and I am claiming now that I will not get sick)
• I am more than 80% done with the required pre-work, and the deadline for completion isn’t until Monday (just a few more hours to go)
• Lots of people are praying for me, and I can feel their prayers (thanks to all of you who are praying, I really really appreciate it)
• My new laptop arrived and I expect to get it up-and-running later today (with a bit of assistance from tech support, since I wasn’t able to do it myself yesterday)

Monday is President’s Day, and I am especially grateful (sadly, for all the wrong reasons, but I will be sure to reflect on the Abe and George that day) that it’s an official holiday for IBM in southern California. For me, it truly could not come at a better time. After I make it through today, I have a long weekend to get everything completed and in order for my trip. The key focus for me this weekend: make time for some special friends, start packing, make a list of last-minute logistics items, and finish the pre-work.

IBM created a wonderful assortment of activities to prepare us for our time in Ghana (reading, discussions, videos of speeches, logistics tasks, research, and team development activities) and they covered topics including roles & responsibilities, health & safety, consulting skills, cultural adaptability, Ghanaian customs, the role of international development in emerging markets, corporate social responsibility, and IBM's presence in Africa. It’s been great to learn, and I definitely feel like we’ll be as prepared as possible before arrival. Certainly, we will face things that we can’t anticipate now, but I am grateful that we have been able to squeeze 3 months of training into the last 2 months.

It’s after 1am and I have a meeting that starts in 7 hours. It’s not yet clear to me how everything is going to fall into place, yet I continue to trust in God’s perfect timing (as well as His promise to give rest to the weary). Happy Friday!