Romania Countdown: Ticket, Meds, and Measles

Can you believe how fast time has gone this year? We are 6 weeks out from departure for the Romania trip. This past week I spoke with our travel agent and now have my airline ticket! The itinerary takes me from Iowa to Chicago, through London to Bucharest. The flight home is similar except I stop in my birth state of Texas prior to continuing to Iowa.

The medicine list came through recently as well. So, now we know what drugs we have at our disposal. It is incredible to think about how much work goes into planning these types of trips. The list includes everything from basic antibiotics to acid reflux medications, stool softeners, and pain relievers. It's like having your own mini pharmacy with you!

In other somewhat unrelated news, I recently traveled to Omaha, NE for a conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases hosted by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Ebola Training and Education Center (NETEC). It peaked my curiosity about whether the CDC was tracking any outbreaks in Romania. And guess what? They are. Measles. Good thing my MMR vaccines are up-to-date :) Hopefully, we won't encounter any cases, but if so, it would be good experience to see measles personally as the number of episodes in the States are increasing due to lack of vaccination and subsequently decreased herd immunity.

Please continue to be in prayer with me for this upcoming trip. My greatest desire is that the people we encounter will know we are different from other humanitarian groups and they will see Jesus in us and through us. Jesus healed the sick as part of his ministry. My desire is to use the skills and training he has allowed me to develop in order to bring him glory.

If you would like to financially partner with me, the link to the top right will take you to the page where you can donate. My next payment of $1,000 is due in 1 week.