… And so it begins.
For some unknown reason God has invited me into relationship with Him. He has offered His Son as payment for me and the rottenness that dwells inside of me. But He hasn’t stopped there. Of course not. He’s a big God so He can give some stinking big gifts! This gift that He has given me comes in a 40 pound back-pack with a tent and sleeping bag connected to it. With this specific gift He is offering me more of Himself. More of His love. More of His suffering. More of His character.
It’s like He’s looking into my eyes and saying, “Annie Rose. I am doing great things among the nations that you have no idea about. But I want to show you. I want to take you on an adventure that you never could have dreamed about. Will you come be a part of what I am doing? Will you enter in, give your all and see my name glorified? Will you be a part of what it takes for the nations to bow down before me? Will you lose yourself so that I can finally move and breathe through you?” And with a question like that, how can I answer in any other way than…..
YES!
As I leave in 3 days, I will be heaving my 46 (ish) pound bag onto my back. I will be slightly panicked, wondering if I have forgotten anything important. I’ll be checking my person over and over again to be assured that I do, indeed, have my passport. I’ll be greeting new friends who feel like old ones as we reunite. And I will have no comprehension of the changes that will occur in me over these next months.
How do I process this? What do I think about? Should I journal? Should I spend time with friends? Can I please sleep? What else am I forgetting?
Yet right in the middle of all the chaos and questions, there is a peace that resides. A peace that speaks louder than all those other voices. It declares over my heart “My God shall supply all my needs, according to His riches in glory“. And so He has and will. With only a few days to go, I am close to fully funded, I have all of my gear, I’ve gotten shots, I have travelers insurance, and glasses to see the world (yep, that was for you Olivia!) and while I do not know what to think or feel, I am as ready as I’ll ever be.
As I talked to my friend Joe tonight I was exclaiming how crazy this adventure is going to be and “what have I gotten myself into?” He promptly responded… “It’s too late to start thinking now! You just gotta go!”
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.
