waiting...

so here i am sitting in the charlotte douglas international airport.  the reality of it all is setting in.  i'm still in a daze i think.  i've been super busy the past month and a half with packing and moving, spending time w/ friends, family and laci, vacationing in williamsburg, splitting my time in NC between Charlotte and High Point.  there hasn't been much breathing room for me, so hopefully the 30-some hour travel time will give me some time to reflect on this new adventure, and prepare myself (as much as i can) for what's about to happen.  i'll be waiting here at the charlotte airport.  then i've got an 8-hour layover in newark, only to jump onto two 8-hour flights.  waiting.  patience.  i have a feeling that i'm going to be doing this alot during my time in kenya.  hurry up - to only wait.

patience is one of those things i struggle with.  externally, i may seem to have it together.  internally, i get angry quickly (frustrated even quicker).  hopefully God will use all this time to teach me some patience, and more reliance on Him through the tough times and the easy times as well.

prayer

as my time here in the states dwindles down, there's still so much for me to process and prepare for as i leave for kenya.  here are a few things you can be praying for during my time in mombasa.  (these are more general prayer requests.  hopefully when i get down there, and spend some time w/ the boys, i'll have more specifics on what you can pray for)

• God's protection, both physically and spiritually - that the attacks of Satan will be thwarted, not only for me, but for the orphanage (Rapha House of Prayer - which means Healing House of Prayer)
• God's patience and strength and boldness as I encounter a culture that is inundated with all sorts of religion - from Islam, to apathy, to making their own
• I will be able to step into my role, not only as a "big brother", but also as an administrator/organizer smoothly and without any hesitation from my part
• I will constantly be renewed and filled with joy from spending time in the Word

one week.

one week from today i will be headed off to mombasa for the next six months of my life.  it's a bittersweet feeling that i have.  

on one hand, i'm excited to:

• go help out car and val with their orphanage
• meet the young men in their house, as they're excited to meet me as well
• travel the world and experience other cultures
• see how God is planning to use me during my time there, not only to minister and to encourage, but also to learn and grow in my relationship w/ Christ
• be building relationships that will have a lasting impact
  
• not "working"

on the other hand, i'm nervous about:

• leading and being a role model for the young men living in the house (car and val are continually letting me know more and more roles they see me fitting into!)
• seeing how God is going to use and grow me during my time there and afterwards
• my future afterwards (although God has definitely been showing me His faithfulness and letting me know that my future is definitely in His hands)
• my relationship with Laci (it'll be a challenging 6 months of perseverance and patience)
• the hot weather (as i'm not the biggest fan of it)
• mosquitoes - i hate those cheeky buggers
• no motorcycle!

address

If you get the urge to send me something, say a package or a nice letter, you can do it here:

Iris Ministries
C/O Brandon Wong
P.O. Box 87307
Mombasa, Kenya
Postal Code 80100
Africa

hungry

today i drove the moving truck back to north carolina from indianapolis.  it was a pretty long a grueling task, but nonetheless, i made it back safely, with all my things in tact thankfully.  along the way, i listened to my ipod mostly - some arcade fire, band of horses, the ting tings - and i also threw in a talk by Heidi Baker.  the talk was entitled 'blinded'.  she started her talk off at the beginning of her ministry, and how she healed several blind women (amazingly enough w/ her same nickname of 'mama ida').  and then she went into how through her ministry people are hungry - physically yes, but also spiritually.  people everywhere have this desire, whether they want to admit it or not, a desire to know more about "the unknown" - about God, and His creation, how we got here...all those questions that science tries, but fails to answer.  people are hungry to know that something, someone out there cares for them.  people are hungry to know that there's more to life than sex, drugs and rock'n'roll.  people are hungry to know that there's more to life than squeaking by each week, not such if they'll be able to make their next payment.  people are hungry to kow that there's to live for than collecting stuff.

what are you hungry for?

last day of work

yesterday was my last day of work.  a very bittersweet day.  i will definitely miss working at The Revere Group, but am excited that my focus is starting to turn towards getting ready for Kenya.  a week left in the Windy City (not refering to the Korean Reggae band Windy City).  within the next week, i need to pack up my whole house, and hopefully have some time to enjoy the summer in the City with Laci.

as for preparation, i met up with Tom Smillie the other week (a fellow Taylor University '07 alum) who works at Tyndale Publishers.  he graciously donated some Bibles and reading materials for both the kids we'll be working with, and also for us (Carly, Valerie and Rachel).