Hey everyone! I have an important update for you guys: I am FULLY FUNDED!!!!! In fact, the Lord provided above and beyond the $16,600 that was required! Praise Jesus! I am beyond blessed to not have to stress about my funding while I am on the field. HUGE thank you to each and everyone one of you who prayed and gave and encouraged me all the way here; I could never have done it without you.
I am currently writing this from outside of a cute little coffee shop in Chiang Mai, Thailand! After over 3 days of travel (1 bus ride and 5 plane flights) I am finally here! It has been nothing short of a crazy week, both emotionally and physically. Realizing you aren’t coming home for nine months is really a huge punch to the gut, and sometimes I still don’t think it’s real. It’s been hard to process the leaving in the midst of the running around catching flights and trying to sleep whenever I can, but now that I’m here, today is the first day I’ve woken up feeling complete peace and genuine excitement. I am so grateful to all of you that have texted me encouragement, shared bible verses with me, or just thought of and prayed for me and my family during all of this.
One of the verses that was shared with me was Jeremiah 1:5-10:
‘”Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.” Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. and the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”‘
I am so excited to see what God’s gonna do and how He’s gonna use me, and I look forward to being able to share that with all of you!
<3 Alaina
