I’m making progress towards being ready for the trip — but I’m not there quite yet.

Today, I was happy to get a stainless steel bowl. Depending on how the soap-making workshop is set up, I’ll need to try melting down, or “re-batching,” some soap. You do that in a double boiler. I needed a bowl large enough to rest on top of one of the two stockpots I’m bringing (one enameled, one stainless steel). I couldn’t find one at Wal-Mart the first time I looked. I bought a bowl at Kroger, but it had a non-skid rubber bottom, and I worried that it might serve as an insulator and keep enough heat from getting to the bowl. Today, I checked again at Wal-Mart, and they had some bowls in stock which weren’t there on Wednesday.

I made a batch of soap last month to give to my relatives out west. It’s now cured, and it turned out very nice; I had already started using the one bar which I held back for myself. The only reason I hadn’t sent the soap to them yet was that they’re packing up for their big move to North Carolina and asked me to wait.

When Carolyn had to pull out of the Costa Rica trip, and I became the leader of the soapmaking workshop, I asked my brother and sister-in-law if I could take the soap to Costa Rica with me instead. (I’ll make them a replacement batch soon enough.) They were quite understanding.

I’m not certain right now how the workshop will be scheduled. I may end up grating and melting soap bought in-country, and using the family soap to hand out as samples. Or I may end up grating and melting the family soap.

Originally, I was scheduled to do two devotions for our internal team meetings. I pulled one out of the file which I had written for Bolivia and never got to give. I figured I would write the other one in country, if not before then. Now, with Carolyn gone, we may have to re-draw the schedule for team meeting devotions.

I’m still trying to finish reading a book which my pastor’s wife has loaned me about the struggles faced by pastoral families, which was a topic our hosts asked us to address.

Our flight will leave at 7:05 a.m. on the 5th. Rather than drive up from Shelbyville (me), Monteagle (Megan) and Sewanee (Frank) that morning, the three of us will go to Nashville on the evening of the Fourth and spend the night at Megan’s parents’ house.

I am taking one large suitcase of my own and one duffel bag which I will borrow from my parents. I didn’t pick that up this week because I thought they might need it for a weekend trip to Louisville. I’ll get it from them tomorrow night or Monday so that I can do some packing during the week. I always use my backpack as a carry-on, and stow it under the seat instead of in the overhead compartment.

The weekend will be here before I know it.