Hello there friends! I hope everyone has been having a fantastic week! The weekend is quickly approaching! I would like to say that my week has been peachy keen, but...alas, car troubles and last minute logistical things have certainly made me do a lot of thinking, and NOT about what is going to be happening this coming week.
Until now.
Like any other post I have made, I have to include this very cliched (yet very true) statement: it's hard to believe that this day has finally arrived. I feel like I JUST decided to embark on this journey yesterday, but I made the mental decision to do it three months ago! I started support raising two months ago. I finished raising full support just three weeks ago, and now the day has finally arrived: I am almost bound for Italy! Time really likes to fly. And of course, things sneak up when we least expect them.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't stoked, psyched, pumped, or overjoyed. I have been thinking about this day a lot, despite the stresses of everyday life (car problems, daily commutes for subbing, figuring out future things, etc.). But no matter how much I think about it, I still can't ever feel totally mentally prepared. I guess that's just the way it works. Because it's unknown, we have no idea what to expect, even though we try and visualize everything. Or, maybe I'm the only one that does this. But in any case, that's what makes the experience all the more memorable. At least, that's what I keep trying to tell myself anyway.
So, tomorrow afternoon my fellow world travelers and I will be hopping in cars and heading to Chicago O'Hare, where we will lift off and split from the States later in the evening. When once again we touch ground, we will be in Istanbul for a "brief" 4-hour layover before once again hopping over to Milan, where we will stay for the night. It sounds nice and simple, but I already know that it's going to be quite a doozy of a travel day. After last year, I know all too well that I should NEVER underestimate logistics. It all sounds nice on paper, but reality has a funny way of making things complex. But, this time (unlike before), I'm traveling with a caravan of 17 other people. I'm not alone. I won't be alone almost the whole time I'm abroad. But, despite the long trek ahead, I'm excited for every second of it. :)
But what am I REALLY thinking about? Well...I'm thinking about a lot of things. I'm pondering what kind of food I will try when I get to Turin. I'm thinking about how long the flights are going to be. I'm thinking about how much my dabbling with Italian before the trip is going to pay off. I'm thinking about the people I'm going to meet when I arrive. I'm thinking about the friendships I'm going to make with those I'm traveling with. I'm thinking about what the Lord is going to do in each of us from the time we set foot on the plane in Chicago to when we set foot back on the ground in Chicago a week and 2 days later. Frankly, my mind is running at full speed.
But with all that running, I have to challenge myself over the next few days to do the exact opposite: to slow down and soak in everything that the Lord has in store. Like I said before, time goes by way too fast. This week is going to scream by without my help. I just need to take in every last experience, and simply give praise to God for allowing me to have the chance to go abroad for the sake of His kingdom. My prayer is that each one of us can allow our hearts to be filled with not only his peace as we travel, but also with his love and compassion so it can be shared with the world around us. Besides, we love because he FIRST loved us (1 John 4:19).
I'm simply going to end this post with a request for prayer. I believe that God does incredible things through prayer. It is our primary source of communication and connection to Him. So, I say, why not? Please pray for:
1) Our team as we make our way from the US to Turkey and then to Italy, that we may be safe and efficient in travel (and that no one experiences lost luggage...that'd be the pits)
2) The church that we will be working with in Turin, and that they may reveal something special about God's heart for the Italian people they minister to as we engage with them this next week
3) The people we encounter while we're there...that we can show Christ's love and also our own story of God's redemptive power in our individual lives (1 Peter 3:15)
4) The other spring break groups that our church is sponsoring, that they may also have fruitful labors in their own respective trips (Muncie, Los Angeles, and Miami)
Alright, I think that's enough for now. Another post will be coming soon! Love you all!
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