July 6, 2014…with mixed feelings of excitement and nervousness and the car packed from floor to ceiling with what we would need for the next 7 weeks, we drove away from our home and headed to the Center for Intercultural Training (CIT) in the foothills of North Carolina. We weren’t sure what to expect but were eager to begin this next step in our journey toward moving to Senegal. The next 7 weeks were intense, challenging, enlightening and extremely rewarding. We were surrounded by an amazing group of people of all ages, each with a unique story of how they had heard and answered the call of God to become a missionary.

I hope to write in more detail in future posts on specific things we learned in the classroom at CIT; but for this post, I would like to share 10 lessons we learned outside the classroom that will be invaluable when we move to Africa:

1. Bring plenty of prepackaged food to ward off hunger while you relearn how to cook in your new kitchen! In our situation, I had to learn how to cook on an electric stove instead of gas, which is very different in case you were wondering! I helped Leo keep his firefighting skills sharp by setting off the fire alarm at least once a day!
2. Be flexible…flexible…flexible!! Hold your schedule loosely because chances are it will change and often. We learned this lesson the first week when our kitchen turned into an impromptu nail salon for 6 little girls ages 3-5!!
3. Learn to laugh at yourself!! See #1 for examples of when to laugh!
4. Always have on appropriate clothing or have it handy for those unexpected neighborly visits!! This includes exercise attire!!
5. Get comfortable with living in a fish bowl, literally and figuratively. Your life suddenly becomes interesting when it appears different from the ‘norm’!
6. Always have a variety of snacks and drinks on hand for those unexpected visits mentioned in #4 above! Make sure you have enough for everyone so there are no sad or tear-stained faces.
7. Do whatever it takes to get cell phone reception for those very important calls to family and friends…this includes sitting on top of your dresser or hanging out a bedroom window!
8. Always be sure your bathroom is clean…remember those unexpected visitors from #4!!
9. Have 1 item that can travel with you that is familiar and comforting (i.e. favorite blanket, stuffed animal, coffee cup, etc).
10. When you feel overwhelmed and things seem out of hand, do a mundane, everyday ‘familiar’ task to get grounded again (i.e. laundry, painting nails, clean the house, etc).

These are just a few of the many lessons we learned while at CIT. As we drove away from the campus on August 22, we knew we were returning home with our eyes opened a bit more to what is awaiting in the days ahead. The friendships we made and those related activities while at CIT are every bit as valuable as the knowledge we gained, and the memories will be treasured for years to come.