Is this what it's like for a missionary?

Packing! We're already tired of it. In making preparations for two weeks in China, we had to think like a missionary:
1. What kind of climate will we experience there? - In our case we are traveling to four different cities in China. Beijing will be 25-30 degrees and much colder at the Great Wall (20 with a wind chill factor of -4). So we dress for winter and bring heavy clothes right? Not exactly. At the close of the weekend we travel to Hangzhou, near Shanghai. The weather there is clear and in the 50's. That's spring time weather!. Light jacket. Hold on. WE then travel to Wenzhou (six hours south by car). It will be closer to 60 degrees. But we'll only be there for a few days and then we travel to Guangzhou in the south where it will be 75 degrees (summer to us). Light clothing, short sleeve shirts. A challenge for sure.
2. What are the weight restrictions for luggage? - Northwest Airlines and most US carriers allow 70 pounds per suitcase and you can take two suitcases per person. Our first trial packing was great! I had 50 pounds and Holly had about the same. However, since we will be traveling China airlines in country we have a weight restriction of 44 pounds PER PERSON. In addition, we are bringing 40 pounds of donation in a suitcase designated for the orphanage. Add it up. One bag for each traveler and a donation bag? We're not only over the weight restriction but we have too many bags! So we began to elimate all of our snack food and eliminate other non-essential items. Then we squeezed Samuel and Steven's bags together; Roger and Holly's bags went together. Amy has her own bag and some of our stuff. We're ready now, I think.
3. Will we make all of our connections? Just getting to China will be a chore for us and we're concerned that our luggage will follow us there.
4. Will Steven be adequately prepared to receive his new family? Will Samuel accept him as a brother? We have been preparing him for this change but we have little control over how Steven will perceive this new change. We sent him a translated letter and pictures of our family. And we have been praying for his welfare and encouragement. We have also been praying about his disabilities and how we can get him from one place to another since his walking is quite labored. Thankfully we will have a wheelchair accessable at the Northwest Airline terminals. And we tried to secure the most comfortable seating for him on the planes. But there are many things outside of our control that we must trust in the Lord.

The Bible passage that has brought much encouragement to me today comes from Galatians 4:4-5. "But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons (i.e. adoption). This is the first time I really saw the ministry of adoption connected specifically with Christmas! God had been preparing Jesus' arrival into this world for thousands of years. Can you imagine how excited He was on the day he sent Jesus Christ into the world. No wonder a choir of angels greeted the shepherds with such exuberance! Can you imagine how much more excited God became when he adopted you into his forever family on the day you received Him (John 1:12). Jesus Christ made it possible for us to experience adoption and now we are wonderfully privileged to help a little boy experience that same privilege and joy.