Uganda Update

I leave in 56 days for Uganda.

I.cannot.wait.

I'm not sure I can fully express how huge this is for me - but if you know me in real life, you KNOW.

I've been remembering things from my other trips to Africa and I'll be sharing some stories with y'all over the next few weeks - some funny, some scary, and some that are just, well, Africa. :)

I've "met" some of my team mates via facebook and blogs and even talked to one on the phone this morning. It's a small world because Kimberly and her husband Jared are on my team and they live just a stones throw away so I'm super excited to get to meet them before we show up at the airport. :) The rest of the team is scattered all over the US so I won't be meeting them face to face until we get to Dulles in DC to get on the plane to Ethiopia - BUT - our conference calls start tomorrow night so I'll kinda get to meet them then. So.excited.

As of today I have $2665 of my $3500 goal met.

Y'all.

God is totally showing himself BIG in my fundraising. I made the deadline for the $2000 for the plane tickets the DAY BEFORE it was due. In the beginning of all this I had a ton of anxiety about raising the money in such a short time and after a couple of days of ridiculous sinful worrying I finally gave up and just surrendered to God's timeline. The funds have been steadily trickling in from family, friends, and even people that I barely know. Glory to God.

Thank you to all of you who have given and prayed.

Please continue praying for all of us.

As excited as I am about this trip, I am also scared to death.

I'm not scared of flying or getting sick (been there, done that!) or missing home or something terrible happening.

I am scared of what I'm going to see.

Of what is going to happen to my heart and my faith and my life.

Of the changes that are going to have to take place in my life when I come home.

I already had a big compassionate heart for babies and children in need and over the past year the Lord has made it even bigger. I do not know if my heart can handle everything that I am going to encounter. It might just break right in two.

And I also know that is a good thing.

It is good to hurt with those that are hurting.

But it does just that - HURTS.

So as hard as it is sometimes for me to pray this and as scared as I am, I'm praying that I (and my family) will truly never be the same after this trip. That changes will take place that make me more like Him - no matter what that means.

Lord do with me as you will.

Be glorified.

"Not from sorrow, pain, or care

Freedom dare I claim

This alone shall be my prayer -

Glorify Thy name."