There and back again

Yesterday afternoon I flew back into SeaTac airport from Peachtree City, Georgia. As I mentioned, this past week I was at the AIM headquarters for Connect Week. Heading into the week, I was excited to meet people going through the same process in preparing to serve on the mission field in Africa, and learn a lot of helpful information for this next year.

I met a lot of absolutely amazing people who have been called by Jesus to reach unreached peoples in different areas of Africa. They are from all walks of life, areas of the United States and each one has a very personal story of their faith journey. It was such a blessing to hear testimonies from each of them about how God has led them to this exact point. I also met all of the wonderful people in the home office of Africa Inland Mission. They said at the beginning of the week that it is not just an organization, it is a family. And by the end of the week, we all felt like a family. It seemed as though I had know all of them for so long, not just five days, and it was hard to say goodbye. The good news is that we will all be able to keep in touch on social media, and hopefully see each other at some point during our service with AIM.

Golf Cart Party!

Another thing that was fantastic this week was all the information I learned - about AIM, serving in Africa, and myself. There is still so much that I have to process and unpack, but I feel so much more ready, spiritually, to go and serve this next year. One thing that I know, Jesus has called me and it's through Jesus that I will find my strength to be in relationship and disciple the students at RVA.


Thank you so much for continuing to support me on this journey. I have a few prayer requests:

Music Prep - I have a bit more work to do in preparation for being a choir and strings teacher: meeting with my former teachers, picking out music, brushing up on my viola skills, etc. Please pray that I will be dedicated and feel prepared enough in the next month before leaving.

Packing - I do need to start thinking about packing (only 2 bags) for the next year - figuring out the things I need to bring and some decorations to make my apartment feel like home.

Emotional prep - It is starting to become very real that I am moving to another continent for a year. In just over 6 weeks I will be landing in Nairobi, Kenya and making the trek up to my home for the next year in Kijabi at Rift Valley Academy. While I am so excited, it is a big move and I am a little nervous and sad about leaving my friends and family here at home. I would love prayers that I feel ready and that I have had enough time with people here in the states before leaving.

The streets of Nairobi

Only 43 Days to go!!!

Connect Week

Greetings from the Emerald City! That's right - I'm coming to you LIVE (okay, not really live) from the beautiful city of Seattle. I'm at my sister's condo, enjoying an episode of The West Wing before catching my flight that will take me to Georgia tonight.

What's happening in Georgia, you ask? Connect Week at Africa Inland Mission's headquarters. I will meet with AIM staff and other people about to head out to serve in different areas of Africa. There are different sessions on things like "Heathy Living in Africa", "Communications", "Spiritual Warfare", as well as one-on-one sessions and daily devotionals.  I am excited to meet the people at AIM whom I have been emailing the past couple months, and I'm excited to meet other people who are at the same point in their journey as I am.

Today has not quite gone as planned, though. I was supposed to already be in Georgia right now. However, when I got to the airport this morning (at 6:00 am) I found out that my flight had been cancelled, and I had been rescheduled to a red-eye flight. Now I will be getting in tomorrow morning, with just enough time to take a nap before Connect Week begins. The good news is that I got to enjoy a beautiful Pacific Northwest Day at Alki Beach with my sister.

I am looking forward to a week of preparation for the great year ahead of me. It will probably be busy, and possibly boring at times, but I know that overall it will be a great week.

Thank you all for the continued support and encouragement! Only 50 days to go!!