Good morning, my friends!

Last month I took a breath-taking missions trip to Gabon, Central Africa. On the trip, I learned so much about people, myself, and the culture. . . but I also learned some practical things!

Now, I am not an expert on African travel by any stretch of the imagination, so please consult an actual expert if you are taking an expedition to the continent! Haha! I'm just listing some things I picked up from the experience.

I know mistakes were made, but I took notes! So, here's my small list of top tips for a missions trip to Central Africa. And even if you’re not planning a trip anytime soon, maybe I can bring a smile or chuckle as you imagine how I came to learn these!

Enjoy!

1. An arsenal of tee shirts: I’m almost tempted to say, go overboard. . . Hehe! Let’s say I packed two per day. . . and felt like that wasn’t enough. At the end of the trip, I was rationing my remaining fresh tee shirts. Having plenty extra would have been a sheer luxury!

2. Coffee and creamer:

Tea is the main staple in Central Africa, but it was not my cup of . . . well . . . tea! (did you get it? hehe) Next time, I think I’ll bring a travel French press along with some grounds and creamer, to appease my coffee "homesickness." Next trip, I'll consider using the one that we have at home; we use this one.

3. Trinkets for kids: You will find very quickly that kids will follow you everywhere! On my first day, I was sitting by this little boy named Brad. I popped a slice of gum while he watched, so I offered him one. He then ran and got some of his friends. . . so I gave them some. And as you could imagine, they got their friends. . . and in a matter of minutes, my entire pack of gum was being chewed between some very toothy grins. If you are planning a trip to Africa, be sure to come well-equipped with bubble gum, laffy taffy, glow sticks, and anything else! Kids love them!

4. Handshakes and hand-clapping games:

Because of the language barrier, I opted to play different hand-clapping games and handshake routines (Double-double this-this; rock, Paper, Scissors) with the kids. But I wish I knew more!

5. Laundry supplies: In the middle of my trip, it became absolutely necessary to hand-wash some of my clothes. However, in hindsight, I’m almost positive I went about it in one of the worst ways possible! Out of curiosity, I started looking up travel laundry hacks. There are many creative ones, but whatever method you test out, bring a dash of detergent and maybe a spot treatment pen.

6. A flexible mindset: Africa is notoriously unpredictable, so embrace the fact that:

• "My itinerary will change . . .
• on the spot . . .
• multiple times . . .
• per day . . . !"

It's a fact. A flexible attitude and a deliberate choice to ignore your watch will spare a lot of frustration. If you prepare mentally and understand that “everything will take at least twice as long as I think it should take,” you’ll do just fine and have so much fun! Just smile. And during all the downtime you spend waiting, absorb everything you see in Africa! You’ll be floored by what you observe. Africa is beautiful, stimulating, thrilling, and captivating!

7. Hydrate seriously: To manage the heat, I found it paramount to take regular “hydration breaks.” You must pause throughout the day to chug lots of water deliberately. I was guilty of forgetting or becoming “too busy” to stay properly hydrated. And it always caught up with me! I do recommend taking hydration packets to replace electrolytes. I would only use half of a packet (per water bottle) of the Liquid Labs Electrolyte Powder in the fruit punch flavor. Disclaimer: they don’t taste the best, but (I promise) you’ll feel much better than if you didn’t take them!

8. Pack a bathroom kit: Ok, I know this tip is rather funny, but I can’t stress this one enough! “What is a bathroom kit?” you may ask. It is a small, discreet pouch you take to EV-ER-Y restroom break. And let me emphasize an essential part here: never, ever pioneer off to the bathroom without it! Believe me, you do not want to be stranded without it! Pack tissues (usually, African bathrooms don’t have TP), pack hand sanitizer (usually, African bathrooms typically don’t have soap), and pack a flashlight. Yes, you read that right; pack a flashlight! On my short trip, power outages are a routine and a normal occurrence (no joke, the airport lost power just before we boarded.) But they're only harmless until you’re caught in an unfamiliar, pitch-black stall and have to probe your way back in the dark. Then it’s not funny! At all!

9. Hiking sandals:

This investment piece that is well worth it. There are many different brands out there. I have the Reggae-Perfect Duo by Sketchers. I absolutely love mine; they are super comfy!

10. Body wipes: I wanted to shower multiple times a day, but that wasn’t possible, so body wipes became my new best friend!

11. Sweat-friendly undergarments: You might want to opt for undergarments that are designed for athletic wear.

12. Take more pictures of foreign “normal”: Laugh if you want, but I wish I had taken a picture in every bathroom I visited in Africa because they were so different. I wish I had taken pictures of the items in the local grocery store. . . the taxis. . . the sidewalks and gutters. . . the barber shops. . . the birds. . . the bugs. . . the water bottles (YES, the water bottles! They were huge and they opened with a hinged top, instead of our screw tops!)

13. Nylon maxi skirts: I’m so thankful I left all my jean skirts at home. I brought three lightweight skirts made of stretchy nylon. I enjoyed that they felt so flowy and airy. They also lightened up the overall weight of my checked luggage!

14. Colgate Optic White Wisps:

Another lady on the trip had these genius inventions. I will definitely be getting these for my next trip!

15. Exchange money when you can: I raked myself over the coals for this one! The only currency exchange place I saw on the trip was in the airport. Much to my chagrin, I passed up my precious one-and-only chance to use it! It made souvenir shopping extra painful and cringy because no one could (it's not so much they wouldn't, it's that they couldn't) accept plastic. What I should have done was this: I should have taken out my USD cash at the airport ATM and then I should have exchanged it right there at the airport. That's what I should have done. Lesson learned! Exchange money when I get the chance.

16. Keep a travel journal: I suggest planning a couple of prompt-type questions you can answer as you get the chance. I have found that it's difficult to keep my normal journaling routine when I'm on a trip. Because when I get back to my room, I want to crash. But then I have so much to say about everything I did that day. Giving minimal and specific answers to prompts has worked very well for me. Here are some of the questions that I would use:

• Today, I saw:
• Today, I felt:
• My highlight was:
• Something brave I did was:
• I struggled with:

I always enjoy reading back over what I experienced on the trip.

I'm thinking about designing and selling a travel journal based on the system I use on my trips. But let me know your thoughts on this. I'd be interested in hearing your feedback.

17. Display gratitude: This is a great tip for life, but it became so real for me in Africa! Any kindness shown to us came at a significant cost to the givers. Our group had the privilege to be on the first missions trip hosted by the only Independent Baptist Church in the country. There couldn't have been a lovelier church! They showered us with kindness. It truly melted my heart. There were a couple of nights when the church ladies cooked a meal for our entire group, and what overwhelmed my heart with gratitude was the sight of their kitchen! The kitchen consisted of a small single counter (maybe the size of a dining room table) divided into two areas. The first was a sink with running water and a brick of ivory soap. And the other half was reserved for a two-burner camping stove. There was no refrigerator, oven, microwave, electricity, cabinets . . . And yet, they volunteered to cook for our entire team. They sacrificed so much to show their warmth and hospitality. All I could do was be grateful for their incredible efforts!

If you know anyone you think would also be encouraged by this newsletter, please feel free to share this email with them!

With Love,