How in the world did the time fly by so quickly?
Today is February 7th, which means departure day is only twenty-five days away! Not counting cultural training, this means I only have eleven more days at home...WHAT?! Somehow my to-do list keeps getting longer rather than shorter, and instead of more ready, there are some days where I feel a little more afraid. Not afraid as in fearful, but afraid as in remembering all the things I will be leaving for two years.
When I come home, I will be 25, my brother will be 20, and my sister will be approaching 17 (Lord help us! ;))
Yesterday I began the first stages of packing. I haven't started packing what I will be taking with me, but I have started boxing up things like winter clothes that will be left behind. I didn't think it would make me sad, but somehow putting away class shirts from college and staff shirts from my summers leading mission trips felt symbolic... like I was turning away from everything I've known the last few years of my life, and jumping into something brand new.
I am SO excited for this adventure and so excited to finally BE THERE, but hugging my mom and dad good bye is currently too close for comfort... What I keep realizing right now is that so much of the preparation since the fall has been focused on the physical: the finances, the paperwork, the assignments, the meetings... While these things are still in the works--especially the online assignments!--I am reminded of a preparation that is even more necessary: heart preparation.
My first goodbye was with my maternal grandparents a few weeks ago, and I was ANYTHING but ready! I'm not only trying to prepare my heart for the reality of leaving, but also trying to remember the importance of attention to my spiritual life in the midst of the tasks that in the moment, often seem more important.
Please pray for me as I work through these final weeks of preparation. Please pray that God would help me get my remaining assignments done, that I could get all my ducks in a row, that I could say goodbye well, and that God would continue preparing my heart for both leaving and serving. It is so good to write and to remember that I am not on this journey on my own. I am continually learning about the value and importance of community as people of the Kingdom. If there is a way I can be lifting you up as I head to my ministry training in the Chicago area, please do not hesitate to reach out.