Two Weeks

In exactly two weeks, I will be taking an 8 am flight out to my first stop on the way to Tanzania.

I'm excited, nervous, afraid, grateful...

There is still so much to do. Lot's of little things. I'm so thankful that the big things are all taken care of. God provided the funds in amazing ways. My plane ticket is purchased. I have malaria meds and all the vaccines I need.

More than anything, over the next two weeks, I want to spend time with my family and friends and pray over my trip.

You see, I feel like the door for this trip is wide open. Let me explain.

Back up a couple months before being accepted. I have had a desire to go on a longer missions trip for some time. I had an opportunity for a trip to Mexico last summer (about a week, I believe), but that door closed. Then I received a flyer in my email inbox (in November) about this trip. The opportunity had arisen for a different trip. With my parent's permission, I applied.

I'm a minor. This makes international travel complicated. There is all sorts of legal red tape for a minor to travel alone outside the states. And although I'm on a team of four, I'm still traveling without my parents. Yet I was accepted, despite being younger than the target age for the trip.

The next big hurdle, in my mind, was the financial stuff. $3400 trip cost, plus the ticket to Tanzania, plus the ticket to Minneapolis for orientation. And that was just the costs I was aware of. As the weeks have gone by, there have been other money things that have come up. Vaccines, malaria meds, clothing, baggage fees, visa...

God provided for my financial needs in amazing ways. My supporter list is over 40 people long. He provided babysitting and housecleaning jobs. I got a piano student who pays (since I don't get paid for teaching my sister 😉).

Hurdle after hurdle, God has provided. It's all God. Honestly, I had nothing to do with it. I posted on facebook, sent out support letters, and prayed. God did the rest. It has been an amazing reminder of how he cares for his children.

This is why I feel like the door is wide open. Anytime there has been a major detail to figure out, God takes care of it. For example, at a church event one evening, someone handed me a check for $100 for my trip. She said to use it however I needed to. The next day, I received an email saying that the tourist visa would cost me $100. God provided the money for the visa before I even knew I needed it.

That being said, I have this feeling that if the door is wide open, God must have something he wants me to learn this summer. My prayer for myself is that my heart would be ready and willing to learn what he wants me to learn. Would you consider praying this with me? I'm also praying that he would keep me safe. When I start to think about all the things that could go wrong, I get really afraid. I'm praying for peace. Praying that he would remind me that I have no reason to fear.

I'm so excited for this summer. I can't wait to meet my teammates and head out for an amazing summer in Tanzania. Even if things don't go as expected/planned, I know it will be wonderful because God is in control and he has a plan for my life. I trust that he knows what is best for me.