I learned how to set up my tent the night before I left, stuffed all of the necessities in my 80L backpack, and headed down to Georgia for the week, having no idea what I was getting myself into.
The first couple of days were different for me than they were for most, because honestly, I didn’t really want to be there. I was finishing up with work, about to move, not as organized as I like to be, and I just kept thinking about everything I could be getting done back at home. Everyone else seemed to be so excited, like they have been waiting for this moment for a lifetime, and then there was me, just waiting for the week to be over.
Normally I would be kind of hard on myself about this, feeling as if I should be excited or that there is something wrong with me since I’m not, but God gave me peace that it was okay, because excited or not, I was still there.
Let me remind you that this trip isn’t something I have just been dying to do. I’ve always wanted to travel world and have always thought about missions, but that isn’t why I am doing this. I’m doing it because I know God wants me to do it, so the excitement I have primarily stems from wanting to see what He has in store for me. So I slept on that the first night, and what do you know, I woke up the next morning more on the excited side of my sleeping pad versus the unexcited side.
I of course still had to poke some fun at feeling like we were at summer camp, but I also tried to focus on the lovely people around me, reminding myself that this will be my family for 11 months. I can’t get over how cool it is that we all come from such different backgrounds and all have completely different stories, yet God planned from the start for all of us to come together. We didn’t need a week to fall in love with each other, but that is what we got. We laughed together, cried together, danced together, aaaaand won squad wars together (L yeah). We came as strangers, left as friends, and I can’t wait to take on the world with them: teaching, learning, loving, and growing.
I will say that I was ready to go home once the week was over, but mainly to finish the final preparations needed to get this party started. I was reminded that week that I always have to be ready for God to show up and I can’t have any limitations on my expectations of Him.
And here is a shout out to EVERYONE: Your prayers have been so evident throughout this whole process, and I just can’t even get over how much support and encouragement I am getting. That is what keeps my excitement up and my anxiety down, so thank you, everyone! I am so close to my next deadline of $7,500 by August 22nd, currently coming in with $6,900! Keep the prayers coming!!
