28 Days and counting!!

I've never blogged before, but I guess there is a first time for everything. For me, this will not be my first trip to Africa but my fourth. I'm really excited to share with you (the readers of this blog) my joys, fears, triumphs, defeats, adeventures and whatever else may come my way during this next year.
I leave June 10. I will arrive in Ouagadougou (Ouaga for short) on the evening of June 11. And I should arrive in Yako sometime on Tuesday June 12. Hopefully I will be able to send out a quick email or blog that I have arrived safely :)
For the summer (at least until the first week of August) I will be working under/alongside Ruth Cox, the founder of the orphange, Les Ailes de Refuge or Sheltering Wings in English to complete an internship for my Family Studies Degree for Mizzou. Ruth has been working diligently to start the process of getting some of our orphans permanent homes. It is not an easy process in Burkina. I will help in whatever way I am able. Hopefully I will be able to visit Social Action (Burkina DFS) and tag along on some home studies. Each morning I will be at the gate to the orphange compound with Ruth aiding those who come seeking help. I will also be traveling to the bush (out in the middle of nowhere) to visit the families of those children who are sponsored. The rest of my time wil be spent with the orphans!!!!!! writing journals and papers for my internship, spending time with Jesus, seeking His face and heart, learning French (the national language...I already know some) and enjoying the laid back Burkinabe life ;) These are the things you can expect to be hearing about.
If you are looking for ways to pray as I embark on this adventure please pray for grace, wisdom, health, and that I might find the heart of Jesus in and for the Burkinabe, and for greater intimacy with Jesus.
GRACE because life in Africa is not always easy (LOTS of heat, bugs, dirt...) and I know that in order to live in this place with the people I love so dearly will mean Jesus is with me. WISDOM because with the completion of my internship in August I am not entirely sure where my place will be...but I know Jesus DOES have a place for me!! Also, the wisdom to discern whether I am to stay for longer than a year. HEALTH because my cornea was scratched in September of 06 and has not healed. Dry weather and dehydration are two factors that can often have painful effects on my right eye. I'm going to be facing these two factors on a daily basis.
Also, prayers that I would be able to learn French quickly would be MUCH appreciated. I know enough to get by ok. But I realize that my ability to form lasting, deep, real, intimate relationships is dependant upon my ability to speak the language. And this is something that I greatly desire to do.
Thanks for reading and sharing this journey with me!!!