I have been getting more and more weird about Aaron leaving–not sleeping, not thinking straight–but more on that later. While part of me is just not myself these days as we approach Aaron’s report date, there is a part of me that very much enjoys the shopping. I was ready to spend a lot of money on missionary clothing, but that ended up being some of the easiest, and surprisingly inexpensive, parts of this journey. MissionaryMall and CTR Clothing really do make that part easy, even with a very tall young man to outfit. What has surprised me is the expense and intricacy of the incidental items Aaron needs for his time in Guatemala.

Try on those mission pants, tall boy!

We spent about an hour going up and down the aisles of Target this week filling all of the little things on Aaron’s list. This included anti-diarrhea pills, Bepto Bismol, a thermometer, Vaseline, mosquito repellant, you name it. $300 later, we had all of that little stuff, but were still in the market for a few more things. That’s when we ended up at REI.

Aaron was telling a man about where he was going on his mission, and this guy gave us the best perspective possible. He said, “it’s going to be like being at Scout Camp for 2 years.” He’s right! The best stuff we got for Aaron has been at a camping store. We got him some microfiber towels, a durable battery powered alarm clock, and best of all, some “wash” which can wash your hair, your body, your dishes, and your clothes! Add some Ziploc totes to waterproof the contents of his luggage, some mosquito netting, and a Dog Dazer (great advice from a lady at the temple), and I think we’re done. The kid is set. Our expectations for comfort and cleanliness during this adventure are low. He’s just going to camp for a couple of years and worry about all that stuff later. I have instructed Aaron to bring nothing home except the clothes on his back: I fully expect everything else to be completely destroyed in the mountains and the rain and the mud.

Good thing this isn’t a beauty contest. This two years will be all about helping other people shine.