As I sit in my favorite cafe (frothymonkey.com), surrounded by friends, acquaintances, and strangers alike, I am silently preparing myself to leave. Not just in half an hour, but for 11 months. I will be leaving behind oh so many small things and details that I now enjoy and am comfortable with. Like the yellow lamp next to me that has a cord that is a fascade. The lamp functions perfectly, but the cord is a fascade and I tend to fidget with it (with or without my roommate–depending upon if I am in the mood to embarrass her.)
The point of all this is simple: what I enjoy and relish now will soon be miles away. Before I know it, I will be on a plane to New Zealand to love, serve, and work with the local there. Before I know it, I will have to place almost all that I own into storage. Before I know it, the good-byes will begin. This could easily continue indefinitely, but what really matters is that I can (in part) see how and where God is working in my life to prepare me to go, follow, and obey Him in my being a missionary this next year. A few weeks ago, I did not feel or know this, but training camp assisted and encouraged me in this regard.
Thanks to God and His work with the dedicated and deliberate AIM staff (and not to mention the other 117 January Racers), I found a transformation from self-doubt to confidence rooted in God as the 10 days of training camp progressed. This transformation continues while I sit in this hip, but comfy cafe.
When all is said and done, I am now encouraged to continue to be faithful to Him and being intentional about trusting God and support raising.
