New Faces and New Places

I'm glad to say that I made all my flights alone, and managed my first flight reservation due to missing my connecting flight. I can't lie-I feel pretty proud for making it through this day successfully. Not to mention that my parents ended up being the ones who overslept, and I had to wake them up! Flights were fine for the most part. I even managed to cross paths with a fellow Tim Keller fan. He appeared to be a former hippie with his lengthy hair and lack of shoes on his feet. It was nice to see someone else crack open "The Prodigal God" when traveling alone in a sea of unknown people. Upon arriving in Newark, to my surprise my teammate Jessica Taylor hopped in my cab with me. Having a 45 minute drive to the AIM headquarters with her was a wonderful opportunity to begin getting to know her. When we arrived in Pear River, New York, Bridgett greeted us in our new home for the next two nights. Bridgett and Jessica are both great girls with lovely personalities. They are from Chicago and New York and have already given me grief for my occasional "yall's" and southern slurs. Dawn came into the mix later. She certainly brings fun to the table being from San Diego, California. Looks like I will not be the only white, blonde headed girl afterall! All in all, it's been a successful day. I have finally gotten to put a face to the name of the girls I'm living with for the next 6 weeks. I believe that I will find great friendships with them and look forward for what is to come.

Leaving friends and family has been harder than I anticipated. Though it was a successful day, it was a hard one as well. The Lord is certainly pushing me beyond my comfort level. I am finding myself having to push through moments of weakness in earnest prayer. There are plenty of times when I find my self thinking "I don't want to do this anymore. Make it stop!" Other times I can hardly contain how excited I am. It's safe to say that all these extreme adjustments sometimes make me feel like I'm diving into a pool of mixed emotions. I take comfort in the truth that the Lord has ordained each day for me before I lived any. In Psalm 139, I cling to the truth that Lord knows me intimately. In these times of loneliness and fear, He is my companion and strength. My doubts and nerves are a constant reminder that I am not in control. The truth of the gospel is pressing on my heart, and weeding out parts of me. For that I am excited. Fear, anxiety, and worry are all worth fighting to find more of Him and less of me.

We leave for Kampala on Wednesday morning. Please pray for safe travels and calmed nerves. Hopefully I'll update again soon!