Forward to the Future

Looking into what's to come is frightening. When people do things like going off to Africa for a couple month mission trip, they never seem to mention the scary side of it. I mean, of COURSE it's the absolute most exciting thing EVER. I'm about to embark on an adventure I can't even imagine. But it's still pretty scary leaping into the unknown. Heck, I've only ever even flown ONCE. Down to New Orleans and back with my church's mission team of 25 people: hardly even counts as flying. I mean really. Someone basically handed me my ticket and told me where to go and what to do when I needed. Now I'm flying internationally?! Crazy. On the bright side I get to meet up with 24 people I don't yet know in D.C. who can help me. But jees.
Not that just the flight issues are the only scary part. Nothing about this trip has been exactly comfortable. First, the biggest hurdle: applying. Doesn't seem like much, but I had to totally break from the norm just to apply. It's one thing dreaming for years about going on a mission trip to Africa, but it's a totally different thing to get up the courage to go through with it. But by God I did it! Or rather, we did it. God really took care of most of it for me. I just had to do my small part when qued. Which brings me to the second hurdle: fundraising. Now, fundraising always seems to be people's largest burden, but I actually found it to be rather...encouraging. After that first Sunday that I REALLY started truly fundraising yet hardly actually did anything and I still got the $2000 I needed by the following Monday, I realized that hey, if you're gonna get the money, God's gonna get it to ya. It's all His anyways. I figure He can probably direct it as necessary. Yeah, so after $2000 in one day, I learned to really trust God. Although the REALLY funny part to me was when I started to get a little worried about money again just that following Saturday, then without a word, He gave me $1000. I think it was just so He could have a good laugh at me when I got overwhelmed by it all.
So fundraising hasn't been such an issue for me. I've actually rather enjoyed it. The t-shirts were mainly so that I could finally get an Africa shirt, and I ended up getting somethin like $800 from it, which was WAAYYY more than expected. God just rocks like that.
Anyways, so yes. diving into the unknown is frightening, but it'll most certainly be amazing, so I plan to just trust God, and it'll all be fine. Worked for me so far.

Talk to ya on the other side (of the world)!