Publicity!

It was kind of a kick to be interviewed yesterday by the editor of our local paper, Len Painter. He seemed to quite intrigued by my story and will run it tomorrow (9/22/07) in the Grand Haven Tribune. If you are able to, please read it; I hope you enjoy it. He said he would like to do a couple of updates while I'm gone, too. Thanks, Len.

I'm trying to use the italicize function on Grand Haven Tribune, but the new Mac laptop won't let me do that. If you notice a typo like that, or some poor grammar construction, feel free to correct me. It may not be something I can change, but it might be. Even though I'm an English teacher, I still make mistakes. I tell my students that language learning is on a continuum. We're never finished learning!

With that, I will bid my USA blog "adieu." I will probably not be able to write again until I'm waiting in an airport somewhere on my way to Congo. FYI, I fly American Airlines from Grand Rapids, MI on Sunday, September 23 at 2:35 pm to Chicago, on to Brussels (Belgian Congo, remember?), then to Douala, Cameroon and on to Kinshasa. I am scheduled to arrive at my final destination at 7:15 pm Monday, September 24. Thank you for following my adventure. Till the next time, may God bless us both! Congo, here I come!

...reaching forward to what lies ahead

Photo: Home Fellowship Group and Kristi
(Center, back with dark hair)

I'm making progress with the packing. Less is best, right? So what does that mean to a middle-class, middle-aged woman? I found out today from American Airlines that they allow two checked suitcases of no more than 50 pounds. In addition, I can bring one carry-on piece and a handbag. I think I will send my 80 pounds of books via USPS to the APO Office in Kinshasa rather than check them. You may send me mail through the APO office, too. Or if you prefer you may use email through my sbc address listed below, or through the blog comments area. You may also mail to my Spring Lake P.O. Box and my agent will send your letter on to me. Whichever way you choose, I deeply appreciate your thinking of me. All are listed below.

My home fellowship group (HFG) from church threw a farewell barbeque for me last night. Everyone should be a part of a group like this. They have been such a great support to me. Here's a photo of us taken back in the winter when Kristi,the daughter of one of the couples, was able to be there. She's working in China trying to fight HIV/AIDS with sex education. She is a powerful example to me.

ADDRESSES FOR MEJANE
janedegroot@sbcglobal.net

Jane DeGroot
Unit 31550
U.S. Embassy Kinshasa
APO AE 09828

Jane DeGroot
PO Box 398
Spring Lake, MI 49456

Forgetting what lies behind...

The title for today is from St. Paul's letter to the Philippians, Chapter 3 verse 13. I have a feeling this verse is going to become my mantra for the week. I have exactly six days to be ready to leave and I've got to force myself to load what I don't need into storage, as well as pack for the next eleven months. I think I am going to have to play a mental game with myself. It goes like this: when I am expecting guests, I tell myself that they will be arriving two hours before they really are expected to be here. That way, I have a little margin of time to prepare and even relax a little. In a similar way, I'm telling myself that I only have four days to pack up my personal belongings--both to store and to take. Whatever doesn't get done by then, well, it's too bad.

I haven't written since last week because I was out in Lynden, Washington (north of Seattle, 4 miles south of the Canadian border), visiting Sadie, my first and only grand-daughter. She will be two weeks old tomorrow. The experience was beyond description, so I will just show you a photo. Or maybe two. I think I took about 250 shots of her, so I have a few to choose from. I didn't want to "forget what lies behind..." Next time I'll talk about the rest of the verse!