I can’t believe we’re about to depart for our six-month adventure to Brazil. It’s been two years in the making.

It all started with an article I read in Mothering magazine reviewing books on experiences of families living abroad. It struck a chord with me as I had been wishing to “shake things up” in our family and get us all out of our comfort zone. Watching my boys growing up so fast I saw their childhood slipping away and I wished to carve out more time to really soak them in before they start not wanting parents around. I thought living in another country for an extended period of time would not only satisfy our passion for travel, but it would also give my boys an experience of how life could be lived outside the US—that without the excesses of such a privileged nation their eyes would be open to more resourceful, creative and compassionate ways of being.

So when my husband, Barry, was awarded a sabbatical from his school to learn Capoeira in Brazil realization of our dreams started to take shape.

The past year has been packed with Portuguese lessons, investigation of Brazilian culture, researching places to visit and apartments to rent, preparing our home for renters and figuring out what to take and what to leave. Once we deduced that private American school in Brazil was too expensive we committed to home schooling our kids during our travels. This would afford us flexibility in moving from place to place, and that quality time with the kids I was seeking (maybe a little too much, but we’ll see!) Thankfully the teachers and the school have been super supportive in helping us gather all the materials and curriculum needed to keep our kids on track. I’m already envisioning a little “learning corner” in our apartment where we’ll set up our home-school and meet 2-3 hours each day. I’ll write more on that once we find our stride.

It goes without saying that in the flurry of preparations and after all the last minute home repairs, scrambling to get our travel vaccines and making time to see friends we hit a wall one morning when Barry woke up early with a panic attack. Heart racing, head spinning and a deep-pit feeling in the gut. It took some time to calm down and recollect. I realized I too had it hit me the day before. All the worries and fears about taking two young children to a foreign country where we had no relatives or friends or a regular doctor began to surface. As a parent you start running through all the worst-case scenarios and it’s just plain scary. It’s the nightmare you never want to have but you know you have to prepare for.

My reaction was to make an Emergency Action Plan: list of all the contacts we did know in the country. Numbers, addresses. Location of the closest clinics or hospitals. Barry had ID bracelets made for the kids. And a plan of where to meet if we got separated or who to go to for help. I wanted to make sure the kids knew the plan too so they would have the tools necessary to help themselves if the event arose. Putting it all down on paper was helpful. At least it helped my mind to feel as if there was a plan.

Fear of the unknown can be terrifying and debilitating. I felt my heart closing. But then I remembered the purpose of our trip, the support and love from the community of friends and family, and most importantly I was reminded by FAITH and TRUST.

My Filipino-Catholic parents instilled in me the value of gratitude and humility. That there’s a greater force at work—and whether you call it God or the Universe or any other name that suits you, that force is there to support you, to see you succeed.

Then there were 2 things that happened post-panic: My friend, who is a brother of the Jesuit order, reminded me that if I am a person of faith I believe in a divine plan—that experiences come to us to enrich our spirit, that whatever experience we have it is for our own spiritual growth and evolution. Trust in that journey.

And at synagogue services the next day, our rabbi called our family up to the bimah (altar) and before the congregation thanked us for being a special part of their community and gave a blessing over all of us for safe travels and wonderful adventure and a safe return back home. All my fears melted and tears of gratitude welled up in my eyes. I sighed a breath of relief that only Faith and Trust could inspire. Yes, we were on the right track.

Step one of our journey begins.