It's about time...but you'll have to wait

MySpace-Countdown-Clocks

Visa

so i just wanted to update that i did get my visa approved! yay! that's one less thing thats on my to do list. and i'm glad i don't need to mess with reapplying. maybe i was overly stressed about it for no reason, but nevertheless, i am thankful to have it in my hands now! so now, really all thats left is the big countdown. 18 days till i leave. i need to finish up some shopping, and start/finish packing, and spend 2 weeks in indy with my family. the next 2 weeks, i'm sure, will both fly by, and drag on slowly. so excited!!

Tontitown

the internet is now gone from my apartment, along with nearly everything else, so here i am in tontitown..bumming internet from a mcdonalds. to feel less guilty i bought a drink.
i'm heading out wednesday morning, so this past week has been filled with lasts and goodbyes. i worked my last shift at the shelter, went to my last CR, went to my church for the last time, and have been saying goodbye to friends. strangely, all of these goodbyes haven't been as difficult as i originally anticipated them to be. i think that He has given me peace about leaving. He has made it clear to my heart that it is time to move on and He has so clearly paved the way for me to go.

as i was driving in on 412, i thought about the first time i came through tontitown and into siloam. it was just over 5 years ago and it was in the same old car, but with my parents. i was anticipating visiting JBU, then leaving and never coming back. i could never have imagined what the Father had in mind for me. as much as i said i wanted to go to school "far away," i never actually thought that i would be 10 hours away. i have grown so much and been healed in ways i never dreamed possible. He has blessed me with true friends, a church, a job i have loved, and so much more. i never thought that a town as small as siloam could be as life-giving and full of meaning for me that it has been.

which only means that i am really excited to see what He has for me next. :)

First step

there is something i have wanted to do for the past 3 years. i have been holding out...waiting for the right timing, which happened to be this week. i finally got the tattoo on the top of my foot that i have been wanting to get for a while. it's an outline of africa and the bible verse habakkuk 1:5, which just happens to be the title verse of this blog. it may seem strange that i got the shape of africa when i am getting ready to go to china, so i feel that an explanation is in order.

china is just the next step to my ultimate calling and dream...to live in ethiopia reaching out to and ministering to the abused, broken, and hurting, street children. but china is a big step in this direction. so i decided that now, before i leave, is teh right time to get this passion permanently engraved on my foot. to remind me that He is calling me to move...to go.

a good way to end my 5 years in northwest arkansas. and a good way to begin the next part of this incredible journey that He is taking me on.

Blog Explained

Hey everyone! i have been thinking about good ways to keep everyone up to date on my travels over the next several months. So here is a blog designed specificially for that!i'm not sure how many posts will make it up here between now and when i leave for southeast asia, but i plan to keep this updated fairly regularly.

currently i am still in northwest arkansas until july 13th, at which point i will be driving to nashville for 2 weeks. august 1-14 will be spent in indiana with my family, and then i officially leave the country on august 15th.

This past weekend was filled with lots of packing. my sweet dog Leah also said good-bye to her wonderful arkansas family, and i know she will miss them!

today i'm in tulsa with my old roommate and we are getting ready to celebrate the 4th with some....LEGO HARRY POTTER WII! so until next time, happy 4th!