In T-8 hours, I will hop on a plane and fly to Atlanta for training camp.
It is quickly becoming very real that I am leaving for eleven months. The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of packing, moving from Indy to St. Louis, and saying goodbye too many times. They have been full of all sorts of emotions (I may have cried multiple times my last day of work, but who’s counting?). To everyone who has made my sendoff sweet in so many ways, THANK YOU. I feel a bit stressed and overwhelmed and sad to miss out on doing life with the people I love for a little while, but I also cannot contain the excitement at finally heading out to where God has been calling me for the last 9 months.
“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19
I can’t wait to see what new things God does over the next year, and I am excited to take you all with me on this journey.
Before I head out, I wanted to give you all a glimpse of what it has really looked like as I prepare to go. I wish I could post one of those cool, organized packing blogs with pictures of my gear neatly laid out as I get ready to put it all in my backpack. I gotta be honest, though, packing has been a (wonderfully fun and challenging) mess.
I have laid everything out on my floor so many times, you would think my carpet was made of lightweight cotton t-shirts. Everyone in my family (and several dear friends) has put up with my agonizing decisions over the most minute details. My sister captured this gem while I was reading up on the diseases mosquitoes carry:
Do you ever feel like this spiritually? Like your life is spread out all over the floor instead of laid out neatly with everything in its place? I certainly do sometimes. Life can be messy and chaotic, but reality is, no matter how disorganized or scattered you feel, there’s hope. Look at the mess I started with above, and check out where we ended up below:
See, smiling even :).
The truth is, Jesus doesn’t need us to have it all packed up before we come to Him. In fact, in Matthew 11:28-30, He tells us: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Jesus longs for us to come to Him for rest, not to fight through life on our own strength. I was reminded of that this week, of how many times I have needed to lean on and rest in Him when I realized I couldn’t do it on my own.
As I journey out into the world, I hope to remember that the Lord will provide everything I need. I’ve wasted a lot of time worrying over what I will bring and what I can fit into my pack, but ultimately, I have to trust that God will be enough when I am far from home with its people I love and comforts I am used to. Thankfully, He has proved to be enough before, and I am confident I’ll see that in new ways this year. My prayer for you as you read this is that you may see God working and providing in your own life this week, inviting you to trust and rest in Him.
After tomorrow, I will have sparse internet and no phone access. The best way to reach me will be through Facebook messenger, Whatsapp (TiffaniMcCormick1), or e-mail ([email protected]). Feel free to drop a line through any of these, and I will respond as soon as I can! It may be a month or so in between connection sometimes, but I look forward to keeping in touch!
Thank you all again for your support and encouragement. I’ll leave you with the other major discovery made while packing this week: I can use my backpack’s airporter as an emergency shelter if I really get desperate 🙂
Much love!
Tiffani
