Friends! Family! Fellow church members! Former co-workers! World Racers! Strangers who stumbled upon my blog! LAUNCH IS FINALLY HERE! And boy, did it seem like it might never come. Literally.
As many of you know, the past 5 weeks have been quite chaotic, energy consuming, and to be honest, almost more than I could handle. Everything from a family issue, to saying goodbyes, to traveling to WI, to shopping and packing, to fundraising, to packing up my room, to working, to…. you name it. It's funny how I always thought that if I didn't get to launch, it would be because of money, but the most stressful part has actually been the process of obtaining my Indian visa. As many of my squad members can attest to, it's not a very "smooth sailing" process. Add to it the fact that I mailed mine to the wrong jurisdiction, and well, let's just say it's been a journey in itself, and one of high spiritual warfare and a constant battle with the question, "Is this God telling me to go in September, or is this Satan trying to make me break?"
After 3.5 weeks of the Washington D.C. office holding my passport hostage, I finally received it last Tuesday afternoon. BUT WAIT, no visa yet. With FedEx somehow being out of order that evening, I caught the Megabus at 2am Wednesday morning and headed to Chicago for an in-person submission appointment. After 45 minutes in the waiting area, the woman announced that their computer system went down and they didn't know when it would be up and running again for processing. She took the paperwork and said to follow the tracking number once it was emailed – something I had heard many, MANY times during the previous 4 weeks. How discouraging! BUT, God is faithful, and when He calls us to follow, and we obey, He makes things possible. My visa was processed in 1 business day and should be arriving in Georgia tomorrow morning (stay tuned for a blog post with a photo of an elated me with my precious passport AND visa)!
SO, now I'm in Atlanta, GA and it's FINALLY sinking in that I'm ACTUALLY leaving the country. Up until about 3 days ago, I had been seriously considering going on a September route, and now, I'M FLYING TO NEPAL ON THURSDAY! My tummy is filled with butterflies (of the nervous-excited variety) and I'm filled with joy that The Lord has privileged me with this incredible opportunity to serve Him as His hands, feet, and voice in our broken and hurting world. The world, as I know it, will never be the same. How could it be? You can't live out a dream and NOT be changed by it (especially when your dream looks like the World Race!).
Many thanks and hugs to all who have helped make this adventure possible – without your continued prayer, encouragement, and financial support, I wouldn't be here! Y'all have been such a blessing and I cannot wait to share with you how God is moving along the way : ) Blessings to you and yours over the next 11 months until we meet again!
Love,
Mandy
