DIY Follow Their Journey Board

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     Hi everyone! How was your Mother's Day?  Mine was awesome for many reasons.  #1, I have 6 awesome children. #2, I was able to speak with my youngest son who is serving a mission in Cote d'Ivoire, Africa! (Click on this post to find out why.)
      If you have ever had children traveling for an extended period overseas, you will know how great it feels to hear their voice and how often you think about them and worry about them each day that they are gone.  I have found a way, this time around, to keep track of where my son is and also create a keepsake for him to have when he comes home.  I hope that when he sees it he will be able to tell us stories about all of the places he visited while in Africa. 
     At this point, I need to apologize to all of my older children that I did not do this for when they were gone overseas on missions or at school.  Sometimes I am just a little bit too slow thinking of these things. Sorry kids.  But, on the bright side, when your children are old enough to travel overseas and/or go on missions, you will be able to do this for them! You're welcome!

     Anyway, here is how it turned out and the instructions to make one for your own travelers! 

I started with a 16" x 20" stretched artists canvas. These are available on Amazon or at art supply and hobby stores. Click on this photo for a really good deal on Amazon.

• From Dollar Tree, I purchased a sheet of foam core board and cut it to fit inside the wooden frame of the canvas. 

• I used a glue gun to stick the foam core inside the back of the frame. Now there is something to pin things to!
• Next, I painted the board a swirly blue color. I thought that kind of represented the ocean.
• I searched online for good pictures of where my son is. Since he is in Africa and spent his training time in Ghana, I wanted a picture of Africa as a whole, then I found a picture of Cote d'Ivoire alone. I also found a rendition of the flag of the country.
• I used scrap-booking paper to add dimension to the board by backing the main map, labels and by making a strip to use as a spot to change out pictures that we get from Jacob.
• This is the time to get creative! Arrange your maps and flag, etc on the board in a way that looks pleasing to you.

     I have to confess that I actually had to try creating this board twice. The first time I decoupaged everything on it.  That was a mistake because the paper and the canvas didn't mix well with the wet glue and there were tons of bubbles! So, the second time I did it, I just used a glue stick! Then, if any corners were coming up, I used push pins to hold them down.  

• I am also using these push pins to mark the places that Jacob visits while on his mission.  I really like these Jot pins that I purchased at Dollar Tree! The pack that I bought have blue and gray colors in the package and there are 80 pins in there so it is a really good deal for a dollar. I don't see the same ones online right now, but there are many other choices.  

     We don't have a ton of pictures of him yet because the WiFi in the little village he is in isn't very good so it is hard for him to upload them to his emails.  But, his language is very good now and he is doing so great! I miss him, but I am so proud of him and happy for him.

It is so great to look at the map and find out where he is! So, whether you have a missionary going out into the world to serve, or a student doing study abroad or someone you love taking a journey of discovery, this is a great way to follow along with him!
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