……3 weeks and 3 days…..WOW…..I can’t believe I’m less than a month away from leaving!! May 30th I will be flying into Boston to meet up with the rest of the team. 7 a.m. the next morning we will all be flying out to Guatemala….SO EXCITED!! As the days fly by, I have started to slowly say some good-bye’s, finish getting my gear…..and trying to pack up my mess of a room (this is quite the project), LOL ;).
Its been hard to not be emotional during this time…..I’m sad to leave my friends here….they are like family as I have known most of them for several years. Saying good bye is hard….especially when you’re a person who doesn’t like good bye’s, haha. I’ve found myself feeling emotionally overwhelmed at times not really knowing how to handle it. It’s hard when you have such a mixture of emotions going on. But at the end of the day, I KNOW I’m doing what God has called me to….and I feel so honored to have so many loved ones, friends and family near and far supporting me.
This time has also been a tremendous learning experience. In brief, I feel like God’s been doing a number on me. He’s been stretching me in ways like never before….most especially in the TRUST area. It’s SO HARD to stop trying to take things into my own hands at times. Everytime I do though God reminds me it’s not mine….it’s not me….it’s Him and all of this belongs to HIM. So GIVE IT UP. ha. I think I’ve repeated those words in my head more times than I can count lately….give it up. Learning to continually trust the Lord for the things that I just can’t imagine how they would work out…..dang, it’s hard. But, it’s worth it. I’ve seen Him move in such huge ways recently! Here’s just ONE example:
I have had a lot of gear I’ve needed to purchase for my trip. A tent, sleeping bag, pack, sleeping pad, cookware….I could go on. Point is, it adds up. Financially I could not afford these things without the help of supporters and I am SO GRATEFUL for those who have been willing to support my trip in this area. Another major cost is my vacanations. For the rest of them it will cost me $450. Like most people….money really stresses me out. Over the past few weeks I’ve been praying that God would provide the money for the rest of my shots because I simply DO NOT have the money for them. I would go through points of frustration crying out to God saying, “I just don’t understand! I feel called to this trip but how I am supposed to go if I can’t pay for the things I need to!” After much prayer I would simply feel his peace come over me and assurance that HE WILL PROVIDE. And the words, “it’s not about YOU Kristin. Give it to God!” would ring through my head. I remember one night praying about it and then feeling that….but also thinking, “ok God, I trust you….but seriously, it’s gonna be a miracle.” Stupid statement right? I mean, our God IS a stinkin’ miracle worker!!! ha. Geez. My last day of work was this past Friday. Saying good-bye to some of my co-workers was really hard….I will miss them. Towards the end of the day they surprised me with a sweet card and in the card had money that they had collected around the office! I was so surprised I wasn’t sure what to say….I think all that came out was “oh wow, thank you!” I didn’t expect anything from them at all….what a sweet surprise! One of my co-workers then told me, “yeah we really wanted to do something for you and I know you still have vacanations to pay for. We were hoping that would help cover some of your costs.” She then told me, “I think there’s almost $500 in there”…..I almost started to cry. Isn’t God amazing? 🙂 He provided MORE than enough – $509 to be exact – to cover the rest of my vacanations!!! To my co-workers, you know who you are 🙂 – I love you guys!!! You are SERIOUSLY a blessing and have answered a HUGE prayer of mine….THANK YOU! And PRAISE THE LORD for his provision!!! 🙂
