so long, so long

taking a little break from some last minute packing.

sunday at the end of the church service dad asked me to come forward and annette prayed for my trip. i was surrounded by amazing friends and the feeling of support was overwhelming. definitely good though. i'm lucky to have so many people behind me. we also prayed for ron webster's trip. he's leaving this week to go to paris to also volunteer with passion and get involved with some other ministries. so keep him in your prayers also!

i'm still blown away that this is happening. i remember feeling really discouraged a few weeks ago and i came very close to just calling it all off. but obviously it was God's hand not mine in this and here i am just a few hours from going to uganda.

i was packing some books to take with me and one of my favorites is a book by donald miller called through painted deserts. i've read it a couple times but i get something new each time. below is a section from the beginning of the book. he talks about our life being like a book. i've read these words before, but they really hit home for me tonight. sorry it's long but i love it:

and so my prayer is that your story will have involved some leaving and some coming home, some summer and some winter, some roses blooming out like children in play. my hope is your story will be about changing, about getting something beautiful born inside of you, about learning to love a woman or a man, about learning to love a child, about moving yourself around water, around mountains, around friends, about learning to love others more than we love ourselves, about learning oneness as a way of understanding God. we get one story, you and i, and one story alone. God has established the elements, the setting and the climax and the resolution. it would be a crime not to venture out wouldn't it?

it might be time for you to go. it might be time to change, to shine out. i want to repeat one word for you: leave.

roll the world around on your tongue for a bit. it is a beautiful world, isn't it? so strong and forceful, the way you have always wanted to be. and you will not be alone. you have never been alone. don't worry. everything will still be here when you get back. it is you who will have changed.