Taking Off!

“But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant,’ I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” – Isaiah 41: 8-10

My first flight leaves the Indianapolis airport in 32 hours. I leave at 6:13 am for language school in Guatemala, where I will be for a few months before settling in Paraguay. I haven’t finished packing, I still have things thrown around my house, which my loving mother has put up with all summer, and I have to get my haircut. I have less than 32 hours to get everything together, say my last goodbyes, and do my last load of laundry. Needless to say, I feel like I should be a lot more frazzled than I am.

Over the past month, I have spent an ample amount of time trying to get things in line for my departure on Wednesday morning. Besides the packing, I am physically ready. I have said most of my goodbyes to friends and family. Although these goodbyes were not been the easiest, I have been able to see the support and love of Christ and His Church. I have also felt the peace of the Lord.

For the past week, I have waited for the shock of leaving to set in. I keep getting asked how I feel, and in all honesty, I feel at peace. The peace that only the Lord can supply. Am I scared? I believe it is human nature to be scared. This is something that is different, and I have no idea what is going to happen over the next 15 months. What I do know is that my God is bigger. Veggie Tales taught me as a child that “my God is bigger than the boogie man,” but now I have grown and discovered that my God is bigger than anything the world can throw at me. Will everything run as planned? Probably not. Does that matter? No. My God is bigger than any adversity or struggle that I will face or any fear that will come my way.

Max Lucado wrote in his book, “Great Day, Every Day” that:
    “The presence of fear does not mean you have no faith. Fear visits everyone. But make your fear a visitor and not a resident. Hasn’t fear taken enough? Enough smiles? Chuckles? Restful nights, exuberant days? Meet your fears with faith.”

Meet your fears with faith. I may be scared, homesick, panicked, excited, adventurous, and full of the Lord’s joy at points, but through it all God will be with me. He will “uphold [me] with [His] righteous right hand” through it all. I will meet all of my fears and joys with faith.

Please keep me and my family in your prayers the next couple of days as I am traveling and getting adjusted to Guatemala for language school! Thank you for your prayers and support.

Blessings!