T minus 5 days

The summer has gone so quickly. Today I looked at the calender and realized that I'm leaving for Guatemala in less than 5 days! EEP! Maybe I should start packing...

Saturday night's party was wonderful. Having the chance to see everyone one last time before I left was such a blessing. Seeing everyone come out, even in the rain, to support me and say goodbye was more encouraging than I could have ever imagined. Yet, it meant that I had to say goodbye to everyone as well. That was hard. I will miss them so much--each of them brought back special memories and reminded me of what I'll be missing this coming year.

Most days I feel bi-polar. One minute I'm on cloud 9, ready and excited to leave, to begin this journey. The next minute I'm fighting tears because it hurts so much to say goodbye--to family, to friends, to memories I'll never have because I wasn't here. Even my boys, T and J. In the few weeks since I've seen them, the already look like they've grown. What will they, and everyone else, be like in a year from now? For that matter, what will I be like? Even so, I know that God is going to use this year to mold me into the woman that He wants me to be. Yes, I will come home a different person, and though the unknown is scary, I am excited to see who she will be.

Through all things, God is good. The whole process of preparing to leave and raising my support has reminded me of my favorite verse, Phil. 4:19: "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." What I thought would be a long, arduous task has turned out to be a joy. Support donations have literally poured in. Through God's gracious provision and the generous hearts of many, many people, I have been able to raise 100% of my support money, with some to spare. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! I am completely overwhelmed by the faith and generosity of so many people. Without your support, this year would not be possible. It is obvious to me this is God saying "Yes, this is where you're supposed to be right now."

Leave it to God to prove His glory to me--again.