Upington, South Africa

Tomorrow we leave for Houston and then Monday we fly to South Africa. We will spend the night in Johannesburg and then fly to Upington in Tuesday. What will we be doing there? Good question. Wish I had the answer. We just go a tentative schedule today but it only goes through half our time there. It has lots of prayer walking, giving testimonies, a few youth activities, and a prayer retreat or Bible study.

A few weeks ago we were each assigned a prayer partner in Upington which is totally cool because even though we haven't yet met them they're praying for us and we're praying for them. My prayer partner is Dinah.

This is the group (minus Ethan):

This is Dinah with her husband and 2 youngest children, she also has two teenage sons:

Excitement!

Sunday eight other students from the BCM (Lindsey, Morgan, Megan, Tiffany, Whitney, Sloan, Ethan. Eddy) and I leave for Upington, South Africa. We are driving to Houston Sunday and then flying out on Monday. I lost my excitement for the trip. Initially I was excited and couldn't wait. Then over time it became oh yeah, there's this mission trip I'm going on for 3 weeks to S. Africa. That is one of my greatest fears about the trip is that I will be there physically but mentally, emotionally, spiritually be everywhere but there. I want to give my all while there and not hold anything back. I want to serve the Lord. Let it not be about me but about the Lord and sharing his love, justice, forgiveness, grace, mercy, awesomeness.

Rebecca started a Missions in a Bottle program where someone teams up with a summer missionary to pray for them throughout the summer and give them a little gift, the bottle, before they leave. Yesterday I got a water bottle filled with goodies from Annie. It may seem like a simple thing but that is what it took to get me excited about going, a bottle. A bottle filled with germ-x, gum, wet wipes, chapstick, yarn, candy, drink packets, and encouraging notes. I am so thankful for it all! Annie wrote a note for days 1-5. She is teaching me patience and self control. I want to read them now! And there was a note from Hayley and Rebecca. Rebecca challenged me to memorize Psalm 67. Last night as I read her note then went to read Psalm 67 it brought to mind the Shane and Shane song "You Said." The song already means a lot to me so I read the scripture a few times and listened to the song a couple of times and could not help but cry. Lord may your salvation be among all nations. May the people praise you. May all the people praise you. Your glory will fill the earth. Distant shores and the islands will see Your light. I'm ready to go.