These days before I leave are filled with a lot of different thoughts and activities. Some of them I expected and some of them I didn’t.
One of the things I expected was the goodbyes. I’ll be honest, they have been hard. God has given me a heart for caring for and loving people which makes it hard to leave them. I got the joy of having breakfast with Elizabeth a couple of days ago. We have been friends for a long time, and it was sweet to be with her and eat the yummy AMERICAN breakfast she made. I sat there holding on to the moment as long as I could and trying to soak up every drop. These goodbyes are hard. I have had more people than I can count come up to me, seriously look me in the eye and say, “Be careful. We are praying for you. We will be here for your family.” This has made me feel so blessed. I will probably replay these moments over and over as I sit in other countries.
Another thing that has filled my last few days in the US is packing. I honestly feel like I have been packing for two months at this point. I am tired of it and ready to finish. One of my friends asked me how my packing was going. In reply, I heard my parents come out of my mouth as I said, “I just wish someone would do it for me, tell me what to bring, and then tell me to go.” There are so many things that require decisions. I sit on the floor of my living room with gear surrounding me. How many should I bring? Can I get that in another country? Will this be appropriate? Do I REALLY need three of these or can I go with two? Will I really miss this for a year? What else do I need to buy? What else needs to go on my pack-the-day-of list? Lots of decisions that are pushing my multi-tasking and checklist skills to the limit. It somewhat amazes me how little I will be living with for a year. Another friend and I had a conversation about how much we enjoyed living in a small place with very little stuff… I guess this will be the epitome of that.
The one thing I didn’t expect was how hard it would be to try and pack but still savor these last few days here. I want to be fully present yet still need to figure things out like, do I have my Power of Attorney worked out? There is a feeling of I can’t wait, but I very much don’t want to leave. It has left me with pre-launch blues rather than the pre-launch hype that most people get. I never feel like I am 100% at anything, packing or being with people because I am trying to do too many things. This has been frustrating, and I have to keep reminding myself of a couple of things. First, that it is only 335 days, and I am not totally out of contact. The second is that this is where God wants me even if I don’t feel overjoyed about it at times. Third, I get the unusual opportunity to tithe one year of life. This is something that I am giving the Lord who has already given up so much for me. Lastly, I GET TO TELL PEOPLE ABOUT JESUS! That should be the number one thing I keep reminding myself.
Now these last few days have come to a close, and I am sitting in a hotel in Atlanta, GA getting ready to meet up with my team for another few days of training. We will fly out on Wednesday at lunch time and travel for 48 hours to get to Cambodia. As of today, I am on the Race! It has begun! It is finally here! I am as ready as I can be for this adventure! Thank you all for your prayers and donations! I am so close to being fully funded. This is amazing! Your support has made all of this possible!
Let’s go and share the Gospel with the world!
