Ready to leave

We are getting ready to leave for Palawan on Monday. We spent the past month at the AFM training facilities in Berrien Springs, MI.The training far exceeded our expectations (we really didn't know what to expect) and we both feel like the training would have been worth it even if we weren't going as missionaries. The staff taught us about worldview, skills on how to learn any language, and how to communicate effectively with people. It was easy to see that sharing experiences and investing in young people was a top priority for our teachers. After training, Chris and I drove back to California and have been visiting family. We did some backpacking and climbing around Idlywild and while it was fun to have some time off, we are both anxious to get to Palawan and finally see where we will be living. The plan is to fly to Seoul, South Korea and then on to Manila. From there we take a small plane to the island of Palawan and will spend a day or two getting supplies in the main city of Puerto Princessa. We take a bus to the southern part of the island and then repack our supplies by the kilo for transport into the mountains. We have been told that it takes between 4 to 6 hours to hike in, depending on our level of fitness. We appreciate your prayers as we are challenged to adapt to a new culture.