It’s The Final Countdown

T-24 days until I leave for launch of The World Race!!

It’s crazy to think 8 months ago I was graduating from North Dakota State University (who won their FOURTH (no big deal) National Football Championship in Frisco that I was so lucky to witness!!), my brother got married to his beautiful wife and I started working in the Valspar resin lab. It all feels like yesterday; I remember cleaning my apartment as I got ready to leave Fargo after commencement, I remember all the details leading up to the party of the century (the Boespflug-Krenz Wedding) and remember dancing the night away thinking it ended way too soon (because it totally did!) Even after all of that excitement, nothing seemed to slow down. My rockstar sister had an amazing Senior year with hockey where they made their way to the section finals, and track, where she made it to state! I loved watching her do something she loved so much and something she was amazing at! All of a sudden it was her graduation, then summer.

Weekdays were busy working with the resin group, and weekends always seemed to have something going on. I had a great summer with friends and family, and like most summers it has gone way to fast. All of a sudden I blinked and I leave in less than a month. How can that even be possible?!

This month is filled with so many emotions as I try to wrap up all the things I need to get done.

Bittersweet: Finishing up the 8 month stint I had working at Valspar. This is my 5th year working at Valspar and I am going to miss all the great people I work with! (This includes you D.N!)

Sad: I had to say goodbye to my brother and his wife a couple weeks ago. This was super hard knowing I won’t be able to see them for a year! Saying goodbye to them made me realize how much harder to leave it’s going to be than I thought it would. But as I tell myself, the year will go so fast. I mean just think how fast this year has already gone…it’s almost time for schools to start again…

Overwhelmed: You know when you are going on a week trip and you have so much stuff you pack like 3 outfits for each day?! Well I don’t have that luxury, heck I don’t even have the luxury of 1 outfit a month. What clothes do I need? What ones will I want? How do I fit everything I need into a backpack?! And I still need to make REI and Target runs to complete my ever-changing packing list. Then I realize I can buy everything I am going to need overseas and that God will provide me with what I really NEED, everything else is just extra stuff.

Nervous: Who wouldn’t be nervous for leaving for a year? But it’s probably not for the reason you think… I’m nervous about being gone for so long, and for change. Change in other people, but also change in myself….OK here I go getting vulnerable… not to offend anyone out there or anything, but I don’t like pushy people. I don’t like when people try to tell me what to think, especially when it comes to faith. My faith is mine, I don’t need you to witness or confirm it in order for it to be true. I have a firm belief that you can have your own opinion and I can have mine, there is nothing wrong with that, and I won’t argue it. With that being said, this is a mission trip where the goal is to make disciples who makes disciples. I know that I am going to be challenged in this while I am away and I am happy for that. I know I need to grow in this area, but it scares me to come back and offend people with what I believe. But at training camp I came to realize that for me, being a disciple is showing others God’s love and forgiveness. A good way of showing that is by sharing your own experience with God. It’s way more genuine to others if it’s your own experience, than if you are trying to tell them to what to think (notice there is a difference between SHARING and TELLING). If people are moved by your experience with God, they will want one of their own; that, to me, is how you make disciples. A friend I told my fear to, told me that I will change while I’m gone (and ya I knew that) but he said that any change that happens is going to make me more into who I’m supposed to be and it will be for the better! So if I become pushy, that’s who I’m supposed to be….just kidding!

Thankful: I can’t even begin to explain how thankful I am of all of you! Absolutely none of this would be possible if I didn’t have people reading my blogs, praying for me and helping me out financially. Currently I am just shy of $12,000! Just $4,000 short of my total goal of $16,267! If you have donated to me, I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart! I could not do this without you and HE could not do this without US! If you ever want to know how great of a community you have, fundraise for something (haha but really!) I always knew I had supportive friends and family, but I am still amazed everyday at by how much!

I need to give a special thank you to my parents! My mom and dad mean the world to me and they are the only reason I could even consider the World Race. My mom was the one who suggested I look into mission trips out of school in the first place! The women I am today is all because of them! I look up to both of them and I am so proud to say I have so many qualities from each of them! They have both been so supportive for everything I have done, that no “Thank You” would even amount to how I feel! I love you both so much and THANK YOU for everything!

Happy: I can’t describe how happy I am to be with the 6 amazing women who are my teammates! We will be living, working and loving side-by-side for 11 months. I couldn’t imagine doing that with anyone else! They each bring something unique to the table and I am so excited to learn from and live with them next year!

Excited: How could I not be excited to start this new amazing journey in my life?! I know the Race is only a year long but I already know it will change me forever!

With all of these emotions, it can be hard to live in the present, but that is exactly what I am trying to do. I don’t constantly think about leaving. I try not to worry about things to much;everything will all work out. Living in the present means being present both physically and mentally. If I am constantly worrying or thinking about the future, I am not giving my whole self to those I am with right now. They deserve me to BE HERE with them, for in a month I physically won’t be.

For the fact of being present, I have come to hate the question “So what are you going to do in a year when it’s over?”

How could I possibly answer that?

This is because God’s plan for you is way better than any plan you could imagine for yourself.

Why try to mess with that? Take things as they come, good and bad. Everything that happens, happens for a reason. It may not be what you WANT but it will be what you NEED!

So if you want to know what I will be doing in a year, ask me then…but chances are I still won’t have a clue… Welcome to my life!

The days are winding down, the bags are being packed, the goodbyes are being said. This is an insane experience I will be starting, but I am so glad I have all of you to share it with!!