"Buy a collapsible bucket. That will be your bath."

Karen, my travel partner, has been to Africa 14 times, so I did as she said.

"And I'll bring you a bug hut," she offered.

"A what?"

"A bug hut. To keep off the insects and rodents," she explained.

Rodents?! Do rodents assault sleeping humans in eastern Africa? Will I be fending off attacking mice in the middle of the night? I'm beginning to wonder what I've gotten myself into. With instructions to bring a water purification bottle, sheet and pillow, toilet paper, peanut butter and packets of oatmeal, my upcoming trip (which I mentioned in my previous post) to Kenya, Ethiopia, and Sudan is starting to sound like a backpacking trip -- backpacking while wearing a long skirt and head covering. It's a good thing I like backpacking. I'm going to bring my own spoon, too, so I don't have to eat with my hands. Perhaps I should also buy that collapsible bowl I saw on the Internet...

My task will be to document the places and people we visit for Sisters in Service. We'll be going to a health clinic, refugee camp, street children rehabilitation center, and the site of a new school that does not force Sudanese children to study militancy. On a trip like this, our plans may change like shifting sand; we are dependent on local transportation, weather, and various unforeseen factors. The key is to remain flexible. Since Karen lives in another city and we have never met, we'll have lots of time to get to know one another during overnight flights, layovers, and bumpy rides. So far I've learned that she loves Starbucks coffee as much as I do and is packing a French press and espresso. Can't be a bad trip with a companion like that!

A lot of preparation goes into a trip like ours: Applying for visas. Getting immunizations. Obtaining medication - malaria prophylaxis, antibiotics, anti-diarrhea medicine... And doing background reading - lots and lots of reading.

But for me, the major headache is getting together my camera gear.

I always carry a spare camera. I learned my lesson the hard way during my college days when my camera died in the middle of the Grand Teton Mountains. Subsequent time spent in those gorgeous mountains was wasted on me; I just pined over every potential untaken picture. So on this trip, I'll be taking three cameras: a Kodak P880 for its wide-angle lens, the Z7590 for its telephoto range, and a V570 for its panoramic mode and tiny size.

Then there's the issue of batteries. I just ordered four more batteries -- in lieu of buying a phenomenally expensive solar power source to recharge batteries in the bush. I'm bringing a voltage converter -- actually, two -- so I can recharge while we're in cities. And I'm collecting SD cards, borrowing from anyone who'll lend me one, and getting some more as late birthday presents. I figure I'll need at least ten 1 GB cards. Currently I own two.

My camera gear, notebooks, and other must-have-with-me-at-all-times items are going in a messenger bag, which I'll carry on the plane. I dare not take a camera bag; it draws too much attention, especially in areas where journalists aren't welcomed. But should I pack the rest of my gear in a wheeled duffle bag? A backpack? A wheeled backpack? I went crazy with the choices! Fortunately, I have a few more weeks to decide...

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When our church sent its first medical team into the bush of Senegal, West Africa, for the first time in my life I regretted I hadn't gone to medical school. I wanted to go to Senegal, too, but how could I, a writer and photographer, possibly help on a medical mission trip?

The answer came a year later after the second team returned, but they still had no pictures of Senegalese village life or what they did on their trips. After all, the doctors and nurses were busy with patients -- how could they get pictures when there were ailing crowds waiting to be treated? I would go on the following trip as their journalist and bring back to our congregation the story of a medical team's work.

In 2003, after being jabbed with an assortment of vaccinations, I packed all my personal belongings into one carry-on bag (at a time when we could still take toothpaste on board). It was all the baggage we were allowed. Each of our two suitcases was crammed with donated medicine. Giddy as children going to summer camp, the team of ten headed into sub-Saharan villages with no electricity or running water. Medical care is unavailable in the villages, except during rare visits by teams like ours. People typically go to doctors only when severely ill, and then they have to travel many miles across sand to a town or city. Most people consult a witch doctor before they go to a medical doctor, so by the time they seek medical help, it's often too late. It struck me that our pets get better medical care than the people we were treating for Kwashiorkor, worms, fungus, anemia, as well as strep throat (which can develop into scarlet fever) and headaches (they don't have ibuprofen in the bush).

When we returned, I gave a presentation to the congregation about Senegal and the work our medical team did. Because I had little time to prepare, I decided to use EasyShare software to deliver my slide show; PowerPoint requires resizing every picture, which is time-consuming. With EasyShare, I just clicked through my 1700 pictures and marked as Favorites the ones I wanted to show. Then I rearranged them into the order I wanted.

Through the pictures I showed, people experienced what it was like to take a two-week mission trip to Senegal. To my delight, many more have gone on mission trips to Senegal because of my pictures.

That Senegal trip opened another door for me: in November, I'll be going to Kenya, Ethiopia, and Sudan to document other mission work. Stay tuned.

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