One final day of packing and taking care of last minute details

 As many of you know, I have a computer repair business, so some of today will be spent getting start of the month invoices out to our regular customers a little early with an explanation as to why they were not sent on the 1st of June.  Any final checks that come in the mail will be deposited and I'll make sure that all bills that are due while I'm gone will be paid.  I usually don't publicize that we're on a mission trip but wait for somebody to spill the beans online, since I don't want to signal that I am out of town.    Since it's been three years since I was in Kenya, it's not a very well-kept secret this time.  Don't worry, my house is being well looked after while I'm gone.

There is also laundry to do, last minute packing of my clothes and personal items in my suitcase and getting all of my camera gear and laptop into my carry-on, since that stuff is not leaving my sight!  I'll be taking 2 camera bodies and 2 lenses with me.  My new mirrorless Nikon Z6II and Sigma 150-600mm lens will be reserved for wildlife, while a more mundane wildlife camera, a Nikon D7500 and a Sigma 18-300 lens will be my walking around camera of choice for sight-seeing and for photography at the clinic, supplemented by my smartphone.  The D7500 will be good for candid shots zooming across larger rooms, while the cell phone is great for posed shots of friends.  I do still have a Nikon D500, a very capable wildlife camera, but it is bigger and heavier and has over 310,000 shots on it, while the D7500 has only about 30,000 and is good enough for the purposes I have for it.  

And then there is the bag I need to pack as the team leader.  It has everything from duct tape to BIC pens to the last of the inventory of distance glasses lenses that we still had here in the States.  It is a conglomeration of items based on past experience and it never anticipates some of the unique situations we find ourselves in.  Our checked bags are limited to 50 pounds and our carry-on can be 26 pounds.  I try to err on the light side, since excess baggage fees are stiff.  Some items, like batteries, can't be checked but must be in carry-on luggage or the personal item you are allowed on the plane that has to fit under the seat in front of you.

We are staking some suitcases with Redeemer T-shirts in them for Catherine's school and the rescue center, something I found out they were about to order and have printed.  It feels good to have anticipated that need and the Lord is helping us fulfill it. 

I've already notified the credit card companies of my travel.  Visa and Mastercard are honored around the world, Discover not so much.  I'll have enough cash for normal needs with me, credit cards are a safety net in case some large unforeseen need arises.  Even after chip cards came into vogue, I got hacked once and a card was canceled while I was halfway around the world.  I had one more card in reserve, but that was scary.  Shortly after I paid for a team dinner in Nairobi, 4 different Auto Zones in Round Rock, TX, near where I live, each had a charge of $175 simultaneously.  Luckily, the credit card company picked up on it right away, since they knew where I was and notified me via email.  Unfortunately, they had to issue a new card with a new number, meaning I had to deal with changing a bunch of auto-pay accounts when I got back, since it was my business credit card.  Ouch.

I'll be bringing a small travel Bible, since we do devotions at the beginning and end of each day at the clinic, and we also have a brief one at dinner before we discuss the way each team member saw God moving among us that day.  Of course, I have a Bible app on my phone, but having a real one is a comfort, especially if I get called upon to say a few words in any public gathering during the week.  We're usually pretty tired at the end of the day and I like to respect everyone's time, so most folks retreat to their rooms for the night right after we eat.  An exception is the one night where we go out as a team for a nice dinner at a local restaurant.

I'll be writing more for the blog each day and hope to have a description of our travel and our experience going through security in Houston before we take off for Germany on Thursday.  Many times, I also compose blog posts during the long flights, either on my phone or laptop and post them once we have Wi-Fi at an airport. I've also got a portable hotspot with 6 days credit on it from previous trips that works almost anywhere in the world on local cell networks.  It's not blazing fast, but good enough for email or a blog post with a minimal number of pictures.  Each day's worth of credit is a 24-hour day, so sometimes I'll start later in the evening one day. The nice thing is that it will still work early in the evening the next day, giving me in effect 2 days for spending one day's credit. Day passes were 5 for $40 when I last bought them in 2019, they've gone up to $10 per day or 5 for $45 if I need to reload.  I'm interested to see if it will work near the Tanzanian border when we're on safari after the clinic. 

I hope you like to learn of the intricate details of putting a trip like this together.  It wouldn't be remotely possible without the expertise, love and care of our friend Catherine Wangari on the ground in Nairobi tying up every loose end.  More to follow as time allows.  Blessings everybody!