Departure Preparations

Well, I made it to my parent's house in Brentwood, CA with everything that I didn't sell, give away, throw away, or accidentally leave behind. I got rid of a lot, but I was still left with a fair bit of stuff to deal with here. Some is being given away, some will be sold by my parents, and some they will store here for me. Meanwhile, I'm packing for Korea.

I'm also packing for Enlightented Warrior Training Camp, which will last almost a week, and I will get home with less than 24 hours before I need to leave for the airport. So far, I've finalized the contents for one of my bags, the super-large square duffel with wheels, although I will have to put some things back in it before I leave. The scale, however, says I can't add any more stuff and stay within my free baggage allowance. (I left myself 2 lbs. or so to spare.)

It's become very clear that I'm not going to be able to bring everything I want to. Hopefully, I can at least bring everything I need. This is like putting together a large, 3-D puzzle, with no picture to look at, a lot of extra pieces, and complex resrictions on how they can be put together. But, as everyone in my family knows, I'm good at puzzles, and I love a challenge.

This whole process has been pretty hard on my mom. She and I are very close, and she knows she's going to miss me very much. Even though I'm excited about this opportunity, I wish I could do this without having to leave my mom half a world away. There's really no easy way to do this.

Prayer Requests: First of all, please pray for my mom, that she would adjust to these big changes, and have peace about my well-being. Pray that my dad would be able to provide some comfort for her when I'm gone.

Please pray also that I will be able to make wise choices about what to bring and what to leave behind. (Some of these choices are emotional; I don't really need my crew hoodie, but I'm loathe to part with it. It's a little bit of home, like Sam Gamgee's salt.) I have two checked bags, each with a 23-kg limit, and a carry-on with a 7-kg limit. Please pray that I would be able to bring everything I need.

Finally, please pray that all the travel arrangements would go smoothly. I have an e-ticket reservation for August 29 on Singapore Airlines flight 15, nonstop SFO to Seoul. Please pray that there would be no problem with airport security or Korean immigration officials. I should have no trouble entering as a tourist. Please pray for a smooth flight as well.

Thanks to everyone who's been involved in this process, whether by providing resources, information, or simply encouragement. I wish I could credit everyone here, but I'd be sure to leave people out, so I just want to say thanks.

My mom is calling me to dinner, and I don't want to miss any more precious time with my family. Until next time, this is Sean Pearson, signing out.