The last week of May

During the last full week of May I went on a Cruise with my family and a few others to the Caribbean! It was the first cruise ever for my family and I while those who came with us were old pros.

We stopped at Coco Cay, St. Thomas, and St. Marteen. Crazy beautiful places. I kind of have a thing for the ocean.

our ship

It was a nice get away, but I was very ready to be back in Albuquerque by the end of the week. Cruises are lovely and I really did have a great time, but I've officially decided that I absolutely do not enjoy hot humidity. It's different if you're right next to the ocean gettin' that lovely sea breeze, but venture inland much more and I become a very sweaty girl after walking about 50 feet. I knew you wanted to know that.

It really was a great trip. Really fun family time and quality time with that guy I'm going to marry in 91 days... WHOA! (that's right, so prepare yourself for a few wedding posts in the coming weeks)

Speaking of marriage, my brother proposed to his girlfriend while we were in St. Thomas as Magen's Bay! He had us write out "Brooke, will you marry me?" in the sand, and then he walked her down the beach to where it was written and kneeled down to pop the question :) it was so sweet and she was seriously surprised. So it's looking like there will be more than one wedding for the Mahon family this year; they are planning on December! Here's a few picture of the proposal:

So I have these two friends...

Abby and Sarah.

I've known them for less than a year, but it feels like FOREVER. The good kind of forever.

Yeah, they're those kind of friends.

We met last June before spending 6 of the most hilarious, challenging, and valuable weeks I've ever had. Where are they now, you ask? Well, headed right back to Namibia for another 6 weeks, but this time on their own... I wish so badly that I could be in two places at once, doing the things I need/want to being doing at home and being back in Namibia with my sweet friends and the sweet people that were so welcoming while we were there.

Remember when I talked about Katima here and here? Well, that's where they will be until the beginning of July. They'll be staying at the Cheshire home while Abby works with the children there and in another orphanage nearby and Sarah does research for her thesis on HIV/AIDS in connection to high infant death rates and maternal care. They are going to do amazing things and I can't wait to hear/read about it (Check out Sarah's Blog and Abby's Blog). As of right now, they should be on their way to their Katima home, so pray for continued safety as they travel and that they would get there when expected.

Grand Finale

My last day of classes before graduating was yesterday. I will be officially graduated one week from today.

Seriously, doesn't feel real. I'm so so glad that it is.

The last 4 days had me studying for a few tests and writing more than a few papers... However, I can't feel too sorry for myself. Procrastination lays all the blame on me.

It is done now though, and in a couple weeks my family and I will be cruisin' down to the carribbean for a week to celebrate said graduation and my mom's completion of chemo (officially in remission, by the by). Woooo whoooo!

Change in Plans

The last 3 or 4 days have been CRAZY. I've ended up back in the State a week early because my mom got crazy sick and the doctors ended up doing surgery to remove a pretty hefty sized tumor they'd found from her intestines/colon. Once I found out what was going on my amazing team leaders stuck me on a plane and sent me back to be with my family. The surgery went well and they were able to remove the tumor. We still have a ways to go, so please continue to pray for healing and a speedy recovery from the surgery. With that said though, I had such a great time in Namibia and was sorry to cut it short. I loved everyday spent with the team and had so much fun while I was there. I'm going to keep this blog short so that I can FINALLY post some pictures! :D I'm going to post a few at a time because I have a lot! This is Fumane, a girl in Johanesburg who let the 5 of us stay the night at her apartment until we could fly to Windhoek the next morning. The guest house in Windhoek we stayed at. Our first shopping adventure... This is from a meat market we went to our first week in Windhoek, Namibia called Single Quarters. They slaughtered, butchered and cooked the animals right there. Parliment Park in Windhoek More to be posted in the next couple of days, with stories and the like! :D

Washington D.C.

The Team! I've met my team and they're awesome! We're having a ton of fun getting to know each other and getting ready to Namibia. We leave tomorrow for Johanessburg, South Africa and get there Monday evening, then Tuesday we leave for Namibia. Once we get there our team splits into two groups and my group is going to head north to Katima and Rundu. We'll get to do some work in schools and a few orphanges. I don't think I'll have computer access until the 15th or later, but I'll do my best to keep everyone up to date! Thanks again for the prayers and support! :D

And so the countdown begins...

I can't believe how quickly the 25th is coming up. Two weeks from right now, I'll be on a plane headed to Washington D.C. to meet up with the rest of my team and get ready to go to Namibia! It really does feel like just yesterday I had 6 months before I need to "really" be ready to go, but it's upon me. Now is the time where my crazy list-making tendencies show up in full force! Shopping lists, to do lists, packing lists, question lists and on and on. I got to talk with one of my team leaders this last week, which was hugely encouraging as I was getting more and more anxious about leaving. I still know very little about the specific things we'll be doing but will find that out when I get to D.C. and will let everyone know! Thanks again for everyone's prayers and support. It definitely makes me way less nervous to have the kind of support that you all have given me, so thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I'm headed to Namibia!!

Hello! Thanks so much for reading up on my trip for this summer. I'm hoping that through this blog I'll be able to update you from Namibia once I get there, but until then I'm asking for your prayers and support. For now, I'll be able to keep you posted on my fundraising and all the preparations that are being made for my team and my arrival!

If you received a letter from me, you've already read this but just in case... :)

Over the last 6 years, the Lord has given me a heart for Africa and its people. In doing small projects here in Albuquerque with organizations like Invisible Children and Compassion International who work to help the African people, I’ve felt a huge calling on my life to travel there and spend time with the people sharing God’s Word with them and ministering to them. After a lot of prayer and encouragement from Proverbs 3:5-6 (“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths”), I was accepted by the Navigators, along with 10 others, to travels to Namibia for 6 weeks on a mission trip this summer! We will serve in orphanages, teach Biblical abstinence at youth camps, and lead Bible studies on university campuses.

The Lord has been so gracious in opening and closing doors in order to ready me for this trip. I ask that you would pray for as I prepare to leave on June 25^th. Will you also consider financially partnering with me? The total amount I need to raise is $6,400. Donations of $75, $100, and higher would be extremely helpful and an answer to prayer. I need all funds by May 5^th, and ask that you would seriously consider supporting me in this way. Any size donation would be a huge help!

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “’For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” I’m can’t wait to see the Lord work in the plan He’s laying out for me in this trip and for the people my team and I will be working with and serving.

I’m so excited to continue to keep you up to date on how the Lord moves through this trip! I look forward to hearing from you!

** If you’d like to financially support me, you can write a check payable to The Navigators and mail it in the enclosed envelope with a commitment card, or you can go online to www.navigators.org and click donate. There you can enter in my account number (23789605), and donate directly to my missions account. Thank you for your prayers and support as I seek the Lord in this incredible opportunity!