I am slowly, but steadily, acquiring the bits of gear I will need (special thank you to ebay and the hikers cleaning out there closets to supply it) and making list after list of the bases I need to cover prior to my departure.
I am just over halfway in my fundraising, which is intimidating with such limited time remaining, but is above the financial cut-off we currently need to be at. So I am content, thankful, hopeful and nervous all at once. I have yet to leave the country, but have discovered that the journey began a few months ago, and I have been slowly taking step after step down this beautiful mysterious path. Why is it so difficult to remain in a constant state of trust in the One who has taken me this far? I find myself struggling to remain in that surrender. I am constantly having to remind myself of all the past ways, means, and miracles God has shown me and used in my life to get me here. It really is a beautiful tapestry to behold if we can just stop our busyness long enough to consider it.
So that is what I am striving daily to do. I have been SO blessed with love, support, and encouragement of family and friends who are joining with me in this journey in every sense; and it has been inspiring to see how God works through people and circumstance to provide for our physical and spiritual needs. This season of Christmas is serving as a constant reminder to me to relinquish control instead of trying to grasp it; and to place all of myself, my hopes and fears, and my dreams, in the nail-scarred hands of the God whose vast love I am only beginning to understand.
