It's Game Time People!

For those of you who have never been on an extended trip before, you may not really understand what it is like to try to get ready for something like leaving home for 6 months. I mean how can you explain everything you feel that final week? Well this may not give you the clearest picture but I will try my best. That way if you are in this situation ever, you can brace yourself for it. You're welcome.

This week did not exactly start the way I thought it would. I had been bringing things in small trips to my parents' house to start working on my packing. So on Monday, I brought over everything I had up to that point. I had still had a few things to gather like toiletries and such but I wasn't convinced that what I had was going to fit in my backpack. Oh yeah, have I mentioned all my stuff had to fit into a hiking backpack? That was a challenge. Anyway, I had fit everything in there and I felt good about where I was at with the weight and everything. It was all good!

...until I ate some restaurant leftovers I had in the fridge. It was only from 2 days before so nothing about it seemed scary or anything. Apparently, I should have just eaten all the candy at the house because it would have made me feel better than that stuff did. For whatever reason, it tore up my stomach! I have never felt so sick. I lost 8 pounds overnight! I am not recommending it as the weight loss method of choice. Needless to say, getting food poisoning kind of put my schedule of things I needed to do on hold. I didn't eat any food for 2 days which left me exhausted and unable to do the things I really needed to get done. It may have been a blessing in disguise though. I got to spend a lot of quality time with my family those days.

So the rest of the week consisted of lists of stuff I needed to accomplish, items I needed to purchase, and of course plenty of stressing out. The last few nights, I kept waking up and needing to remind myself that yes I really was leaving on Monday. And no I had not dreamt up this whole thing. Thankfully when I was asleep it was peaceful and not me freaking out in my dreams. That may have been too much. But eventually everything got done. Everything was purchased. I packed and unpacked and repacked like 3 times to make sure I had everything and every time it was all there. Which was good because I also was having to get ready to move out of my apartment. I realized it was a possibility that I was going to have to but I was hoping it wouldn't happen. But it did and that's okay. My family was so helpful in getting all that done because I was too tired and stressed to have done that on my own.

Sunday was the first day the reality of having to say bye to everyone really set in. Mainly because I was having to bye to everyone. My church is very missioned focused which I absolutely love. I mean obviously it means a lot to me too. So I was given the opportunity to come up during both services and tell all of my church family what I was getting ready to do and they all prayed for me which was amazing. It's almost like I could feel the hugs and love all around me. And then I got real hugs and words of encouragement from people coming up to me saying how they will be praying for me. And then I started to having say goodbye to people. Until then, I had been mostly able to keep my emotions inside like a warrior but it was a serious struggle at that point. How do you fit 6 months worth of love into such a brief amount of time?! But I treasured every one of them. And I will continuously remind myself of all the love I have back home.

Today is officially flight day. My family all drove me to Jacksonville (oh they also took me to Melting Pot for dinner last night.. Holla!!). Anyway, it was nice to have them there while I got checked in and everything. And then we reached the security gate and it was like the gates that were holding my emotions together just gave out. It's hard to keep it in like a warrior when I just love them so much!! But I had to put my gameface on and face it like a boss!! And then walk through security like an awkward middle schooler... but I successfully made it on my first flight and now I am waiting for my second one and then somehow finding a group of people who I have never met before. I'm hoping the giant backpacks will be a big clue I'm in the right spot.

Thank you so much for all the love, prayer, and support all of you have given me! I hope to be updating my blog pretty regularly but I really have no idea what to expect. You can always ask my family for any news if it's been awhile since I have been able to post. I'm sure they will love your prayers and support almost as much as I do!

Ps. Did I mention the low tomorrow night in Indiana is -6?!! I'm literally going to freeze my face off!

Yeah, This Is Not A Mistake

Have you ever been at a church service somewhere or was talking to someone or read something that you knew without a doubt was God speaking through someone else to you? Well, if you haven't I will explain because it happened today! Today at church one of the songs we sang is called "Oceans" by Hillsong which I absolutely love. I had heard it before I signed myself up for this trip but hadn't really related to it in the way I can now. One of the lines in the song says "Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders. Let me walk upon the water wherever you would call me." The first sentence should be tattooed on every foreign missionary's body because when you do foreign missions you are literally sharing God's love across borders. That seems like a pretty obvious explanation to me. The other one takes a little more thought...

So not only did we sing this song that totally related to me but you know God's sending you a message when He uses the Bible story you are teaching to your kindergarten kids. Today we talked about the story when Jesus walks on water. If you are unfamiliar with this story, Jesus has sent His disciples on ahead of Him in a boat and while they were out there this huge storm just kind of pops out of nowhere. Then, all of a sudden, they look out and see this thing that they think is a ghost but it's actually just Jesus walking on water. So Peter (who is known for being the bold one) tells Jesus if it really is Him to tell Peter to come join Him. Jesus was like "Come on over!" But while Peter is walking on water (which lets be for reals is the coolest thing that ever happens to him), he gets freaked out by the waves and calls on Jesus to pick him up. And Jesus does!

All of that to say, when that song talks about being called upon the water wherever God leading you, that is straight up where I'm at. Like I'm Peter and I saw Jesus doing cool things in people's lives and I was like "I want to do that too!" and Jesus was like "Come on over girl! You won't be disappointed." And trust me, I haven't been. Yeah it's dramatically changed my life. Like for what other reason would you get a bug net and a sleeping pad for Christmas?? I also am completely freaking out in the best way possible about everything because I have no idea what to expect but I love it too! I am so thankful that this is what God wants me to do. It's not a mistake.

Days Left: 8! SO CLOSE!!

Living in Fast Forward

You know, the closer my departure date becomes, the faster everything seems to be moving. It feels like just the other day I was starting my application for this trip and now all of sudden I'm leaving for it in less than a month. And yes, you did read that right. Less than a month! Which means the next few days are going to be very full of trip preparations and hanging out with a bunch of people I'm going to miss a lot. Like last Friday was my last day at Chickfila. (It also marked one month until I leave for my trip.) Everyone at work was so unbelievably sweet and caring! I guess making sure I'm going to miss them when I'm gone. It's awesome being surrounded by all these people that really do care about me and are supportive for what I am doing.

Today we also had our last conference call before we leave (another weird realization moment). The biggest thing that we talked about is our itinerary for our trip. So here it is for you to see so that you can be praying for us wherever we are:

January 12: Arriving in Fort Wayne, Indiana
January 17- January 31: Partying in New York
February 1- March 7: Hangin in Haiti
March 8- May 1: Jammin in Jamaica
May 2- June 27: Bummin in Belize
June 28: Travel back to the States
July 2: I'm coming home!

Lastly, my roommates have a jewelry store on etsy and I get to sell these fancy cross earrings on their website! All of the profit will be going to help me purchasing all of the super exciting supplies that I will need to have before I leave. Message me on facebook for a promo code to cancel out the shipping cost and I can meet up with you to talk about life and get you your earrings! Also, check out all of the other cool stuff on their website :)
https://www.etsy.com/listing/214749604/cross-earring-benfiting-experience

Days Left: 27!!!

Places Have Names Now!

I know it's only been a week since my last post but we are getting closer so I have more exciting things to share with you! Today I had a conference call with my other team members and we learned more details about where we are going. I of course wanted to immediately share that with you because a lot of people have been asking specifically where I am going and now I know!!

 

First we will be traveling to Petit Goave, Haiti. Petit Goave was one of the places hit by the earthquake in 2010. We will have the chance to work with kids in the local school which could be interesting since I don't know French or Creole but I guess we will have translators for that. Otherwise I don't know how we will be able to teach kids we can't speak to... 

In Belize we will be in a little village called 7 Miles. Originally we were going to go to Costa Rica but recently Experience Mission has been making connections in Belize and felt like it would be a better fit. Little fun fact: English is the national language of Belize. There may be some local dialect that some of them may speak but for the most part there will not be any issues with that.

In Jamaica, we will be staying in Catadupa which is located up in the mountains. There is a train track that runs through the middle of the town. At one point it was a way for tourists to come see the town but it was shut down in the 90s and kind of threw off the economy of Catadupa. English is taught in the schools so they said we will have no problem with a language barrier there. The local language is a derivation of English so I should come back speaking like a pro which would be so cool!!

I also wanted to say thank you so much to everyone who has donated to my trip. I totally just jumped in to this trip trusting that God would provide the money I need and He has totally provided in ways I could not possibly imagine! Thankfully, I have been able to work enough and save enough to where I do have the rest but it would mean almost no money when I get back. The rest of the money to pay for my trip is due next week. If you had been wanting to donate, you can go to www.experiencemission.org and scroll down to where it says "sponsor a 3&6 month immersion volunteer". Thank you all so much for all of your prayers and love! I couldn't do this without you!

Tatted Up Like Kat Von D

As I keep getting closer and closer to leaving for my trip, more and more exciting stuff seems to be happening. Everything is moving at a much faster pace than it was moving in the beginning. There's more paperwork and other things I have to take care of but I'm also getting to tell more people about all that is happening since people get very curious when you are getting ready to leave home for six months! The amount of love and support I am constantly receiving is so overwhelming so thank you. All of you. After I make a new blog post I am checking how many views I have had like every 5 minutes because it makes me excited to see people actually want to hear about and care enough about what I am doing to read what I have to say.

So first of all, I officially turned in my letter of resignation for chickfila this week. My last day of work will be December 13th. I really do love my job and I will miss my fellow employees but for my emotional sanity, I need to give myself plenty of time to prepare for my trip. The amount of support and excitement for me that I have been shown at work has truly been a blessing. I love being in a place where people genuinely care so much about me.

As far as recent trip events, last week I purchased my plane ticket to Indiana. Although my mom did help me finalize my purchase and my ticket decision, she refused to help me with the researching part because she told me she was just going to stay in denial. She came through for me when I really needed it though! I've also had a family tell me they would like to purchase my sleeping bag I need for me which is so amazing because that is one big thing I kinda really need that I don't have to worry about anymore.

God has been continuing to show me His faithfulness even when I am drowning in a sea of doubt. I had to get my brakes repaired on my car this week which was not a cheap fix. I became very worried that I would not have the funds I need and began crying out to God asking how He could get me so close and then ruin everything by giving me this expensive car repair. But when my mom and I got to the mechanics they said it had already been paid for by my grandparents. It was definitely a reminder that I don't have to do everything with my own strength. It got me thinking how often God takes care of me and how often I easily forget that. I started thinking that if I got a tattoo every time God showed me up, I would have a lot of tattoos. I'd be like Kat Von D with more tattoos than bare skin. God will not lead me to a place where I know I am following His will and then leave me hanging. This is where He wants to be and He is going to make sure it happens. Even when I doubt He can.

Day count: only 50 days away!!!

"For I am Not Ashamed"

Well this week has for sure been a crazy one! To start off, I had my first conference call with my teammates. There wasn't a whole lot of group talking because having like 12 people trying to talk to each other at once would be wayy too difficult. It was mainly a chance to get a lot of information out to all of us at once. It did make me realize though how much stuff I have to get taken care of before I leave but it was definitely lots of good information. I now get to figure stuff out like flights and other really cool fun things like that. They did say we were only going to be spending 2 weeks in New York which was something I was a little nervous about because in January in Florida is NOTHING like January in New York. But don't worry, I ordered a super cute monogrammed fleece headband to keep my ears warm so I'm set!

I also spent all of Tuesday at the new ER. Not as a patient! Don't freak out. I was learning things about pharmacy. I mean I didn't have this major revelation where suddenly it became clear that pharmacy was my life calling. But I enjoyed it! And it's definitely something I want to look more into. Shout to out Dr. Angie for letting me hang out with you for the day.

I have also decided that Saturday December 13th will be my last day at work. After our conference call, I decided that I needed to give myself plenty of time to make sure I have everything ready and in order before I leave. Besides, who would want be more stressed out than they had to be around Christmas time. I wanted to make sure I was getting to enjoy all of the time I had with my family before I leave.

Here's 2 fun facts:
1) As of 11/14 I am 59 days from heading out on my trip!
2) Romans 1:16 has recently become my new life motto: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel,because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.."
BOOM! Enough said!! God's awesome!

What Day Will Today Be?

As of today, I am 70 days away from leaving for my mission trip. Every day it's become more and more of a reality for me. Some days it's like "wow I can't believe it's so close!" and then other days it's still like "wow... holy mess it's so close..." It's been really awesome to get to talk to people about what I am doing. A typical question for college aged people to get asked is "what is your major?" or "where are you in school right now?". And my response to them usually begins with "well.... you see..." because normally it's like a few word answer like "FSU and I'm majoring in business" or something like that. It kind of throws people off a little bit when you tell them you are taking off school to go on a mission trip for 6 months. Since the word has spread, more and more people at work are asking about it too which has been really awesome to get to talk to them about it. They are all going to miss me so much there but they try to play it off. I can see right through that though!

In the past couple weeks I have become really obsessed with Christmas and getting into the holiday spirit super early which is kind of usually for me. I'm not like a scrooge or anything but I don't normally start listening to Christmas music in October. But I think the reason for that is because with holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas you associate that with being together as a family and that's all I'm going to want to do is be with my family before many many miles separate us. It's super cheesy and sappy I know but I guess this is just how my brain is processing things.

But as always, God is proving Himself to be just as present as He always has been. Even days when I feel like nobody understands what I am going through, I know I'm not alone. Jesus dealt with knowing He was going to be separated from His earthly family and friends but He made sure He spent time with them and let them know that He loved them. Jesus gets it! I'm not alone. And that fact is what allows me to have more of the "wow I can't believe it's so close!" days and less of the "wow...holy mess it's so close..." days.