Where there's a will, there's a way.

So in all my blatherings about our weekend things, I remembered something I wanted to write about later. We just signed our wills this weekend.

The main reason we did it (other than just needing it done anyway) is that Matt will be leaving in a month for Africa for two weeks. We want to have all that stuff settled before he leaves...just in case.

Fortunately I have a sister who cares about my son almost as much as I do. We feel very confident in leaving him in her care should something happen to Matt and I. And we know that he would be loved, cared for, and provided for properly by her. That gives us some peace of mind.

OK, now can I tell you that I'm getting terribly nervous that in less than 4 weeks now, my husband will be headed out to a third-world country for two whole weeks? I am. The closer we get, the more nervous I get.

Yet, there is a calm about me. I know that there are plenty of people around to help me out if need be. My parents are only a phone call away, and so are Matt's. And we have many friends here in town that I know I could call upon.

Also, I know my husband will only be gone two weeks. Even though it's the longest that we've ever been apart, I know that many other women are without their husbands for much much longer (like my cousin's wife who is here with their son while my cousin is serving in Iraq right now).

And I know that Matt is going for a good reason. For those of you who don't know, Matt is going with a group from our church on a mission's trip to Mali, West Africa. He's been planning for this trip for over a year now. They will be doing some construction work for a women's and children's hospital there.

I know this will be the experience of a lifetime for him. I know that it will be a growing experience for us both.

I am looking forward to spending some time with my son doing some fun things. I'm hoping to do some outings that we normally wouldn't do. And just a little bit, I'm looking forward to having some alone time in the house when Zachariah's napping or sleeping at night. I know two weeks of that might get boring, but I do appreciate a little extra alone time.

I plan to take a week off from tutoring, so that Zachariah and I can just have time to do things without worrying about getting back for me to tutor. My mom and I want to go shopping in Columbus for a day. Then I'm thinking about spending a weekend at my parents' house. It would be nice to spend time with my family (and we'll visit Matt's parents while we're there) and have a few extra hands to wrangle the toddler.

And lastly I have a worry that Matt will want to return to Africa full time. I'm not saying it would be out of the question for us to go into full time missions work sometime, but it would be a huge change. I know that Matt will come back with a heart for Africa and the people there. (And I won't be surprised if he wants to adopt the adorable triplet girl babies they have in the hospital there right now either.)

I'm sure I'll be talking more about his upcoming trip in the next several weeks. If you're the praying type, we'd really appreciate your prayers now too. Please pray that the group has safe travels over and back. Pray that they are well prepared as they leave. Pray that they will be productive while in Mali. And pray for the families of those traveling.