And the journey begins…today is my LAST day in America….until December!
But before I get to writing, I want to thank the anonymous donor who graciously donated to my missions fund this past week. I am blown away by this generous act and I thank God for your gift of giving. This is such a blessing and God keeps on showing me how faithful he truly is in His promises. Thank you, thank you, thank you to whoever you are! And thank you to everyone who has so kindly donated to my mission trip. Thank you for believing in me and the work that the Lord has planned. Because of you all, I can say that I am almost fully funded! THANK YOU! I feel so loved and overwhelmed with joy. God is SO faithful.
These past few weeks have felt like a whirlwind…so many emotions flooding my brain. So many people to see and so little time….so many clothes…and so little space….so much chaos…and so little peace and quiet.
As the holidays were coming to and end and as launch was quickly approaching…my emotions seemed to be all over the place. I guess the reality of what I am about to be doing for the next 11 months never really sank in….I have been talking about this journey for months and months now…and now that it is finally here, I feel like I am in a dream. I have been in this whirlwind of emotions and now that I am here at launch…the reality of it all is setting in. But it feels so surreal. I will be gone for 11 months, I will not be seeing my family or friends for almost a year, I will be living out of backpack (and that is not easy for someone who likes organization as I have easily learned these past few days), I will be living off less than five dollars a day for all three meals, and I will not have the comforts of my normal everyday life for an entire year.
Although this is overwhelming, I rest in the Lord that He will guide me every step of the way and hold me in those times when I want to break down. I am on this journey ultimately to seek Him and his will for my life and the lives of others. When there are times of sadness, anxiousness, chaos, and when I am in the lowest point of the valley, I need to remember to take a deep breath, and find peace in God alone. I need to learn to hand all my doubts and worries over to Him. I could not take this journey without Him right by my side. Throughout these past few days of training and launch I have felt the presence of the Lord so near and it has been so comforting through this process. The Lord says, “cling to Hope, and My rays of light will reach you in the darkness.” I am so ready to set my old ways aside and rely on God for my strength. I am so excited to see how God stretches me and challenges me in this upcoming month and to see his story unfold through my life!
We will be leaving Friday for Quito, Ecudaor! Look out for more updates and pictures in the coming weeks as I will be updating you with information on what our team is doing and how God is working through our lives to reach His kingdom.
“When you decide on a course of action that is in line with My will, nothing in heaven or on earth can stop you. You may encounter many obstacles as you move toward your goal, but don’t be discouraged—never give up! With my help you can overcome any obstacle.”
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Email Address: [email protected]
skype name: emilyannhalverson
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Stay in touch! God Bless.
