Step One: Get to the airport!
The 2011 Sports Evangelism team did get to the Nashville airport this morning to begin the long journey to Italy. Several family members and Belmont University coaches were there to see the group through check-in, let them know of their support, and gather for a pre-security check word of prayer. All are in great spirits and looking forward to the exciting days ahead.
The group is scheduled to depart from Chicago in a couple of hours and will be without communications for the night and parts of tomorrow. It has been a long day already for several team members and prayers for a restful flight have been requested. More later...
Final exams are over and we are ready and waiting for Monday’s departure at 1:50 p.m. Our flight takes us through Chicago to Rome. From Rome we will be taking a two hour train ride to Naples for our ten days of ministry. Everything is in order as team members spend a few days with family before leaving.
Thankful and Humble. These two words describe my involvement on this year’s mission trip and I have used these concepts in our small team meetings as we have prepared for next week’s trip.
Its Thursday May 5th which means we're only 11 days away from our journey to Naples! As the days grow closer I get more and more excited each day about this opportunity that has been presented to me. I have never been on a mission trip and this is something that I have always wanted to do and I couldn't be more thankful for being a part of this group. Last night as I sat around the dinner table at BW's house I realized how special each and every one of us are and the gifts that God has blessed us with. I have only heard great things about the previous trips and I cannot wait to get over to Italy and begin our ministry! Continue to keep us in your prayers as we prepare for this amazing journey. 
Last evening at Betty Wiseman's home, the 2011 team gathered for a time of fellowship, trip packing, and prayer. After filling up on lasagna, KFC chicken, fresh corn, salad, and a to-die-for chocolate cake, the group sat together to hear Betty talk about a different sort of Biblical fasting that applies to the digital age. The concept of leaving something behind for a period of time so that one's focus is concentrated on our relationship with God is repeated throughout the Bible. In a world of iPhones, headsets, Facebook, and instant information we tend to be tethered, technologically, to the world around us and more easily distracted from things of a spiritual nature. B-Dub suggested that each member of the team make plans to disconnect from distractions as the team gathers next week to travel to Italy. Un-tethering for a time would mean that the forward focus of the team is concentrated on the needs of those who will be touched by a week of ministry led by student athletes and not restrained by anything that might pull the group backward to the hectic, always connected, lives we live stateside.
It is Friday the 29th, the last Friday of the semester. We have two more days of class, exams, and then school is out. Normally I would extremely nervous and anxious right now, thinking about the two papers and four exams I have ahead of me, but instead I feel excited. I know that with the end of the school year comes our mission trip to Naples. I have been looking forward to going on a mission trip this year since we left Malta almost a full year ago. 
As I prepare for the trip I just keep reminding myself about the opportunity that God has given us. Last year was a tremendous experience. I am really looking forward to this year because of my experiences from last year. Our devotional bible studies have really given me the chance to bond with the new team members. We are less than a month away now and I cannot wait to meet at the airport. God has blessed us with the opportunity to share his word and I am looking forward to doing that with this team.
As this Spring Semester winds down, my excitement grows in anticipation of our upcoming mission trip to Naples, Italy. I was lucky to be a part of the previous two trips to South Africa and Malta with BW. Each trip was a unique experience with life changing impact. Our team is already very close, but our relationships continue to grow as we have group meetings and devotionals in preparation for our trip. My testimony has changed from year to year as God continuously works in my life and I am in the process of refining my testimony that I will share. I, as well as the rest of the team, am very excited to see what God has in store for this journey. One of the most fulfilling aspects about these trips for me is seeing it all come together in the end and realizing the impact that I may have had on an individuals life. 
I have never been on a mission trip before, but I could not be anymore excited. Talking about it with the other people going on the trip, and even people who are not going on the trip, gets me even more excited every time. I am just pumped to get over there and to serve God and hopefully make a difference in peoples' lives.
I cannot even put into words how excited I am about going to Naples. The preparation time leading up to it has seemed to fly by. I feel like our meetings and Bible study time with one another has really set the tone for heading out. It has given me a way to start seeing my teammates and friends in ways that I have never seen them before. I am sure that will continue when we get to Italy.
The weeks leading up to the departure date for Naples are so exciting. I try to keep count off the days, but they go by so fast. I feel that no matter how much I talk to God, there could always be more said. I try not to focus too much on the trip though because I know that God is leading us and he will allow us to get through to any person and/or all people that we can. He works in mysterious ways!