Letting Go and Holding On

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In 3 days I will be leaving for training camp in Georgia! I
will spend a week in Gainesville doing heaven knows what (I’m guessing there
will be mix of team-building and Bible studies with a dash of rolling in the
mud and eating bugs to prepare us for Africa!). Then, on the 15^th
about 50 other college-aged kids and I begin our journey to South Africa! With
that said, I would really like to spend the next few minutes writing an
inspirational blog-post with some wonderful, spirit-filled epiphanies
concerning the fact that I am about to travel across the world soon. But alas,
this will not be one of those posts. I’ve actually been struck by the
simplicity of what I’ve been feeling, and learning lately.

Being at home with my family, (Brent was able to come home
for a few days before he leaves for Iraq in October), has been such a blessing.
I am thankful for time spent with my sisters and parents, and struck by their
support and love.

Spending time with my closest friends has also been a
blessing! I have realized how important friendship is, these girls (they know
who they are!) are as much my family as blood relatives. To use a term from
Anne of Green Gables, they are kindred spirits, and I will miss them so much!

Seeing all of my support come in abundance has humbled me
and made me so grateful. When I first started raising money, I was nervous and
afraid that people would resent my asking for money for this ministry! But I
have seen that God truly works in people’s hearts to give them a desire to
store up treasures in Heaven for Him! I have felt God’s blessing through all of
my supporters and I couldn’t be more grateful for that. I really do feel like
the Verizon guy with a huge network behind me as I head to South Africa! 

Finally, no matter what kind of spiritual struggles I
experience, or what kind of lessons God is teaches me, I always come back to
the simple, unfathomable truth of the Gospel. With so many examples of His love
all around me, it blows my mind to think that I, a child of wrath, deserving
nothing to do with Him, was chosen before time to be covered in the blood of
Jesus, made righteous and able to stand before God’s throne in freedom and
confidence, with the promise of the riches of His grace and an eternity living
in His love. Though I despised and rejected Him, He has covered me in grace,
given me eyes to see and faith to believe that He sent His son to die so that I
may have life!