September 10, 2007 - Contentment is not a result of your circumstances

I am a little bit nervous right now about our big trip tomorrow. We are going to Vanemo, Papua New Guinea to get our visas (hopefully). A taxi is picking us up at 6 am to drive to the border (2 hours). Another family was going to go with us and they speak Indonesian so that would have been helpful, however they can not go as they were not able to get their travelling visas to go in time. So there is a man, Pak Barenz that will meet us there and help us on the Indonesian side. Then we get in another taxi (or bus) and drive 45 minutes to the consolate office in PNG. We need to turn in our papers and wait. The plan is that by the next day we should be able to get our visas. We will be staying overnight in a "hotel". And then coming back the next day. We will be close to the beach so hopefully we get cooled off in the Pacific Ocean. I am nervous because the whole ordeal could be a short process or a long process depending on whoever is in charge that day. We will not be able to drink the water there, not even to rinse off our toothbrushes, so I am bringing a bunch of bottled water. If it only takes a day or two I will have enough stuff packed but if it goes too much longer we will have to buy some stuff there-somewhere. So I am nervous about all that. Many of us get car sick in Wis. and here the roads are terrible and the drivers are crazy-but I bought some Indonesian motion sickness syrup that we can take before we leave, and some ginger candies to suck on. If you wouldn't mind, pray for us throughout the day as you think of us. It will be long and hot, and Cale will miss his naps...Thanks.
I keep thinking about a saying I had up on my fridge back home"Contentment is not a result of your circumstances." It is something you have inside. My contentment comes from my relationship with Jesus and really has nothing to do with where I am living and what is going on around me. Jesus can help me feel content even when I am smacking bugs, or wiping the buckets of sweat off my forehead, or sitting with a dorm girl that just twisted her ankle in a volleyball game...He can help me IF I let Him. That is what I am trying to do.
So I need to go off to bed because our morning will come real quick tomorrow.
God bless you,
Rachel