It’s officially countdown time. I am no longer telling people I’m leaving for China in two weeks…I’m leaving Saturday. Sat. Ur. Day. As in, like 5 days from now. That means it’s officially time for Kelly to be running around like crazy while making lists and remaking lists all while still trying to make meals, do laundry, play Uno with kids, and live somewhat of a normal life. I’ve learned something lately–I’m really not normal.
The rest of the team leaves on the 19th, a few days behind me. We’ll have one full day in Beijing and then a travel day to Xian before we drive another few hours by van to the city where we are serving. On Monday the 23rd, we will load into a white van with a driver who can only say “Hello ? Hello? Hello? Howareyou?” in English. We’ll wind through busy streets where Mercedes drive beside old bikes pulling trailers of vegetables we don’t recognize, all of them honking at each other to make themselves known. We’ll take deep breaths as we pull up to a big accordion gate where we will be waved through. And, there we will start Day 1 at the orphanage.
Just imagining the scenes as I write the words makes my heart beat a little faster.
We’re almost there.
There will be 15 of us in that van behind our driver friend wearing OH HAPPY DAY shirts. But, our team is so many more than that. There are literally hundreds of people a part of this team–financial donors, doll makers, art supply buyers, parents who sent pictures of their children to show the staff who cared for them, children who participated in sticker drives so that we could cover little fingers and hands with kitty cats and smiley faces. The 15 in that van are just the ones who actually get to GO.
As we enter into those gates on Monday the 24th, we want to do it as a Team with a capital T not just as our little team. We’re setting something up so that we can do that–something we have declared OH HAPPY DAY Day.
On Monday the 24th, our team will be donning our blue OH HAPPY DAY shirts as we go. We’re asking that you join us in your OH HAPPY DAY shirt. Think of us, pray for us, be one of us as you wear it. Maybe even share a selfie with #ohhappyday to give us that reminder that you’re with us as we go. We’ll be hopping online as a team looking for those pics to encourage us at the end of our first day. We’d love to see yours among them.
Need a shirt still? Order yours HERE, making sure to give us your first and second choice of colors since we’re getting a bit low in stock.
Want another way to come with us? Sign up to pray for us HERE. I’ll send out some prompts this week to get you started.
Okay. Enough. Back to crazy.