Where to start?!
I have been up for almost 24 hours straight and see no release of sleep any time soon. That is not to be read as a complaint, I am LOVING this! Granted, spending 13 hours in LAX is not normally how I like to spend my Tuesdays… Is it still Tuesday? Fun fact: my squad will not be seeing September 10th so our year is only 363, pretty cool.
But you all probably don’t care too much about that so let me quickly recap the past two weeks and then I’ll tell you about my big news!!
Kiwi ended. This was extremely difficult in many respects. It was hard to come to terms with the fact that a camp season will start next year without me. This will be the first time in 8 years that I will not be spending my summer at my favorite place, my other home. This will be the first time in 5 years that someone else will be doing my job and will be taking care of the kids that I have come to know and love. Kiwi ending also meant saying goodbye. This summer I was blessed to have such an amazing group of kids and coworkers. I don’t think this summer could have been better if I tried! My kids and coworkers were all so supportive of me and the journey that was ahead of me. The journey that started at 3:30am (GA time) TODAY! (September 9th)
Yet again, I am getting ahead of myself. (I will try to work on this for future blog posts, my apologies). The weeks that followed camp ending were packed with many breakfast/lunch/dinner dates with some great people, A LOT of last minute shopping, and running errands. It was filled with gut-busting laughter, heartfelt “see ya later’s,” and many tears. Tears of happiness, longing, and fear.
There were a few times over those two weeks where I questioned what I had gotten myself into. If saying goodbye to all my friends hurt so much, was I making the right decision? But then I was reminded by a few good friends that they would still be there when I got back and that I would regret not going for the rest of my life. Some of the best advice I got was when I had pulled my car over to the side of the road because of the panic attack that had taken over. My friend’s response was “This is the clanking of the roller coaster right before you go over the top. This is going to be worth it. And don’t forget to breathe…” It was exactly what I needed to hear. I got myself together and went home and packed.
Then Sunday evening, Jeremy gave an announcement. “ROUTE CHANGE! We will no longer be going to South Africa, Swaziland, and Botswana. Instead we will be pioneering into Uganda, Rwanda, and Ethiopia!” What?! Come again? I was so upset. I was looking forward to going to South Africa. There were things that I wanted to do while down there. I had an agenda. Then it hit me. This isn’t about what I wanted or had planned. This is about what HE wants. This is about HIS agenda. This is about bringing HIS kingdom to those who need it. His plan is bigger than our expectations. With that change of mind set, I am very much looking forward to this new opportunity!!
It is now September 11th and we are sitting in some airport in China. CHINA! We will be boarding the plane soon. We are 12 hours ahead of New York right now. My body is off, I am tired and hungry. But I can’t stop smiling. I am so excited for what is about to unfold over this year. I am ready for it!!
All is well for now! Later Days!!
*This was written a few days ago, much has happened since then. I will be writing another post sometime later this week!
