Full Steam Ahead

I mentioned a ministry related trip to the Middle East in a post about a year ago. I was supposed to go this past January, but the trip was cancelled last December due to the war in Gaza. It wasn't an issue of safety, but rather a problem with the fact that the flights were scheduled to go through Tel Aviv. The trip was rescheduled for this coming October, and although things remain bad over there, my contact in Israel says that things within the nation are safe enough. We will eventually be landing in Amman and I will be speaking in Jordan and Israel for two weeks.

The trip involves an enormous amount of walking, with some of the terrain being uneven and rocky. I have to be cautious to be in good shape because I'll be speaking often and I won't be able to get the job done effectively if I'm feeling exhausted and beaten day after day. Consequently, I've been really diligent to exercise the past several months in order to prepare for such a physically demanding trip. I have had to stop exercising for a few days at a time every once in a while throughout the past months because of issues with my leg and my arm, but I have been faithful to get things going again each time. 

Want me to share a few psychotic thoughts about all of this? I cheated death on the side of the road eleven years ago, so I'm not particularly concerned about the potential dangers involved with this trip. Also, I've overcome a great deal of problems that have arisen time and again with my body, so I'm not particulary doubtful about my body's ability to endure throughout two weeks of long distance walking within a fairly challenging terrain. All in all I feel pretty strong physically and spiritually, and I look forward to getting things done during this trip seven weeks from now. I'll keep exercising over the coming weeks, and hopefully my body will cooperate each day. 

My bigger problem? I hate Middle Eastern food, so yeah, my leg should be OK but my stomach will be lonely and homesick.