I cannot even begin to describe the excitment, fear, anticipation, and utter awe I feel about this upcoming adventure. But all I know, is that I have never been more ready for the adventure of a lifetime with Jesus. To be honest, I'm not very good at blogging, journaling and that sort of thing, but I would love nothing more than to be able to let others into the world of my heart and thoughts about this upcoming year, so blogging it is! If nothing else, I would love for those of you reading this, my friends, family, dear loved ones and even those of you who have stumbled upon these words, to know about my journey and mostly about my God. And I would love to share with you why I'm going, why I'm leaving everything I know behind to chase after something that seems a little bit crazy, even to myself sometimes.
God called me to the world race, and I knew it from the beginning, though I was a little hesistant to be all in. But I knew, right away, the Lord was challenging me to something bigger and better than what I could have ever imagined for my own lifetime. I had plans after graduation, and I wanted to go home to be close to my family and friends, but Jesus is challenging me to a new kind of "laying down my life." So over this next year, I will be away from all the people I know, away from familiar, away from my language and lifestyle. I'll be sleeping in a tent, showering little to none, and learning how to rough it with only what I can carry on my back. But more importantly, I'll learn a lot about people all over the world. I'll learn the way people live, the things that are important and aren't so important. I'll learn what it looks like to be on the outskirts of society, probably playing with orphans, hanging out with homeless, and befriending prostitutes. I'll get to see many different types of people, from the top of society to the bottom. But that's exactly what Jesus did, and I call myself absolutely blessed to have the opportunity to step out of my life and into someone else's. I know I will be overwhelmed as I see first hand how much God loves us, each one of us, alike and different, all around the world. And I will be challenged to love others the way Jesus did. And I will be humbled and challenged as I try to understand what that means for my life from here on out.
I can honestly say I'm already anxious about the journey that is to come, but I am most excited to get to dive into a new side of life with Jesus, and to feel His love for the world. I hope you'll join this journey with me, and that you might see a little more of God's love for you through my adventures around the world! Thank you for supporting me- I would not be able to do this own my own, but it is through each one of you who has poured life, love and encouragement into me that will keep me striving after God's plans for me. I'll try to keep you as updated as possible, but until the next blog… GOD BLESS!!!
