Crunch Time Prayer Requests

I am feeling the pressure and excitement now. This trip ranks number 5 in my most eagerly anticipated events of my life, behind getting married and birthing four children. Nine months in the actual anticipation, and now we're down to the last week. WE LEAVE FRIDAY!

Here's what's on my heart, tempting me to be anxious, but which I am running to the Lord with instead. I would appreciate your linking arms with me and thank you so much who have been faithfully supporting us in prayer thus far.

1) Shouldn't be number 1 but it is. I have a Luke 5:25 problem. Hasn't lasted 12 years, but closer to 3 weeks now. No pain, but fast weight loss (yay!) and occasional bouts of lightheadedness. Not much fatigue, but I am craving iron big time. Please pray for wisdom. I haven't seen a GYN since Joel was 9 weeks old. Fear from what happened during his birth has driven me far from health care providers, namely of that specialty. So I don't have a regular GYN, and even if I did, he or she would probably want to run tests or give me hormone meds . Mess with hormones right before an international flight and 10 day trip? AAACHK!Nor do I have time to squeeze a doctor's appointment in this week. I want to be healed without meds. Last night I could almost picture touching the hem of Jesus' garment. Desperate, begging, hopeful.Laurie prayed for me at church and used the same passage from scripture to speak in faith. Thanks, friend.

2) Logistics of the week. It looks like this in a nutshell:
-Monday....grocery shop, clean, hope my visa and int'l tickets come, find a way to take a piece of luggage I didn't find out about until today. GAIN sent stuff for Sacha (a suitcase worth for orphans) but she's in the UK; let Sarah and STephen sleep in and not beg them for help. They'll be home after midnight from Boston, after a day in church and a block party up there, then a 10 hour drive. Mabye 3 a.m will be more like it. I pick them up when they get back to the church. Hope party goods from Oriental Trading shows up. Also goodies ordered from them to take to the orphans. PLEASE PRAY GRACE ON SARAH. She will have just 4 days between trips, and I know she's been anxious at times about preparing well. She is not a procrastinator but an efficient plodder. But her presentation was not finished when she left.
Tuesday: Trip's Welcome Home Party. Girls arrive 4:30 to decorate. Trip arrives at 6. Some of the littlest girls would rather play w/ each other than help; pray I have patience with them. And joy no matter what happens. I bought 9 little flags for the Operation Gummi Worms kids to wave as Trip comes down the street. I am going to ask their sibs who want to bang on pots, pans, and portable drums. WE'll have a cookout (pray grlll works; it always has), a Photo with the Hero session., Q &A, prayer over him, give him welcome home cards they've made, and then hopefully when the kids leave, some time with just Andrea and Trip,. I haven't seen Andrea in a couple of years. Haven't seen Trip since 1999. They've been in town since June 6 but spending time with his side of the family and /or my parents.
WEds; laundry and pack, pack, pack. Clean up rest of party. Get all new cash bills. Only newest 20s and 100s are accepted over there. Also need to get the van in for AC repair. I may postpone that. Prayer request would be for peace and energy.
Thurs: finalize packing and practice our presentations to the family, if they want. So far not a whole lot of interest in what we're actually going to share with the kids. Ben, in fact, keeps asking, "When ya leaving? I can't wait!' Thanks, son . I'll miss you, too. A decent night's sleep. Yeah, yeah, I know I can sleep on the plane, but I need sleep in order to process from sun-up to sundown, when we get the air.
Friday: smooth send=off. NO MAJOR TEARS FROM JOEL. We leave Dulles (Washington DC) at 12:45 pm. Between here and there are 2 horrendous beltways to navigate, and my hubby is not excited at all about that, even though he's a great chauffeur. Aggressive and savvy on the road, but not without sweat. (My sweat.)
We arrive at JFK Int'l in NY at 1:57. Jet Blue Airways. Paul and Stephen will help w/ luggage to security gates; after that Sarah and I need strength for 5 suitcases and 2 backpacks. Such pressure is rough on my interiors, let me put it that way. I am so glad bags are wheeled!
Pray we meet our GAIN coordinators easily at our destination. All 100 of us are meeting at JFK. (Pray all goes well w/ customs. )
Some of the missionaries go to Ukraine, some to Siberia. Only 15 of us are going to W. Russia, but we all fly into Moscow together and spend the first night before heading separate ministry locales. Pray for everyone, please. Many have been before; many, like us, are rookies. Pray for bonding.

That's all for now. I look around and see so much to do. I need wisdom as to what doesn't need to be done as well. I'm so eager to hear from Sarah and STephen, too. I doubt I'll sleep much tonight, but the Lord is good. I got a long nap today (my usual Sunday) and can function on 4 or 5 hours when I know I can crash the next afternoon. I just don't foresee being free to crash tomorrow afternoon!

If you have any words of wisdom, advice for smooth travel, prophetic words, scripture or anything you think would help me, please say so! I consider every one of you an instrument of mercy from God!