Trip Preparation, Part 3

I leave for the airport in five short hours.  I've said my goodbyes.  I'm fully packed.  Yet, it hasn't yet struck me that I'm going to be out of the country for three months starting tomorrow.  One step at a time I suppose.  My final week here has been miraculous with the amount of support that's rolled in.  Last week, when the people at Action International prayed for me, they prayed for the remaining support to come in before I left.  They wrote it on their white board.  I was a bit skeptical myself.  I had raised $1000 up to that point and I was happy at that, feeling comfortable that I could raise the remaining support while I was down there.  It would not be an ideal situation but I was resigned to it.  At my Home Group bible study, we talked about not putting God in a box.  As more support rolled in the last few days, I realized that that's what I had did to some degree.  Through the bake sale at my church and assorted generous donations, I've now raised $2,401!  Praise be to God!  When my dad and I estimated how much it would cost for 3 months, we guesstimated around $2000.  While traveling can be unpredictable, it is likely that I have now raised over the support I will need!  Whatever I don't use for my living expenses in Guatemala will be used to support the the elementary school that I will be volunteering at in Cotzal.  I am excited to see what God has in store for me.

Pray that God would use me for His glory, that I would go down there and be completely available to His will and not mine, that God would give me peace with the knowledge that He is the one in control.  Thank you all for your support and your prayers!  Keep praying!  

I will update as much as I can.  I want to share what's happening through your prayer and support.  This will be my first missionary trip by myself and also my first for an extended period of time.  A part of me is nervous, that I will not live up to the faith and support people have placed in me.  But then I realize, that all I need to do is go and have faith God will use me.  Have faith to look for that open door.  Let go of the reins and let God grab the reins.  Ultimately, people don't have faith in me, but have faith in what God can do through little me.

I'm looking forward to these three months as I deepen my relationship with God and see what adventure He has in store.  Thank you, thank you, thank you all for everything!