I’m somewhat at a loss for words for how I feel right now to be honest. I have found myself heading out in similar (?) situations the past couple years and half expected to be used to this process by now. Heading out to Africa for my student teaching was a drastic change for me and yet I really had nothing to compare it to in advance so I just went with the flow and wasn’t anxious about it at all. Coming back from Africa, my life seemed to be a series of transitions as I headed to camp for the summer and then off to St. Paul Island. By now I had an idea of what I was doing (teaching-wise and heading out on my own-wise) and had a little better idea of how to prepare. Yet, all of that said, I quickly realized that Africa and the Bering Sea are world’s apart…and then again not so much.
I now sit here with less than a week left of living at my house in Michigan before I start the process of heading down to Miami in order to head out with my new teammates…friends…family to embark on a journey that’s going to be filled with more life than I’ve known how to live thus far. I’ve had some experiences of being stretched and have understood the growing pains that often accompany growth spurts. With this understanding has come a solemness of expectancy mixed with a hidden hope for renewal and a delight that I’ll be blessed with taking this step with the fellowship of some men and women who God is going to use to rock this world from it’s foundations…needless to say, I’m looking forward yet attempting to take each step intentionally…
Thank you to all of those who were able to come and support me last night at Mongolian Barbeque! It was so good for my heart to see you and it was a great encouragement to me! Despite the weather and distance and everything else, I’m now a couple hundred dollars closer to meeting the financial obligation of this trip. Out of the $13,800 total needed, I now have just over $8,700 with another $1,700 in pledges which means I’m less than $3,500 away!!! Praise God and thank you 🙂
I am planning to lay relatively low this upcoming week as I amass the rest of my gear and get all of my final preparations out of the way before Christmas. I will then be heading to a friends house for a night to see some college friends the day after. Following this, I will be heading down to Kansas City, MO to attend the International House Of Prayer “One Thing” Conference…From there, I will be heading down to Oklahoma City to visit with a teammate of mine (Cameron…you’ve got to meet this guy sometime 🙂 ) for a couple days before finally flying out to Miami and then down to the Dominican Republic.
Prayer requests:
Safe traveling
Better ears to hear and discern what He’s saying to me
An obedient heart
peace that goes beyond understanding
that I’d finish here well and start there well
that I’d hunger and thirst more for His word
that I’d learn to live in His presence…I want to desire to be near Him and with Him at all times…If it is possible, it seems as though I can go nowhere that He isn’t and while He’s always with me, I don’t always feel as though I’m always with Him…that needs to change…He needs to become more and I need to become less
