So, when are you leaving?

"So, when are you leaving?" This question wasn't so daunting until the answer was "Monday," and "Monday" was only four days away. This whole semester, I've been preparing to go to Thailand for the month of May through New Life, raising support to both go there and to intern at New Life's leadership training program for the summer. However, amidst everything I was doing throughout the semester, I was definitely busy, and I didn't quite connect with the fact that this abstract idea of "going to Thailand" was becoming more concrete by the second. Especially as the semester was drawing to a close, of course, people started talking about what they were going to be doing for the summer. My answer was always "Oh, I'm going to Thailand for May and then coming back to intern at New Life." It was an easy answer, since I'd basically had my summer planned since January and the only thing that was in the way was raising support.

Well, my full support got raised (praise the Lord!!), and now the only thing that stood between me and Thailand was time. Yesterday, as I was moving out to go home for a few days before leaving, someone asked me when I was leaving. This time, instead of being able to say "a few months" or "a few weeks," my answer was "Monday." Somehow, the end of the semester had sneaked up on me, and I found myself mind-blown when I realized that my date of departure was only four days away.

I'm not really that anxious. Definitely a little bit. Mostly, I'm trying to go in with an open mind and without expectations. I know a little bit of what I'll be doing, but is there really anything in our lives we can plan? There are a few things you can pray for me for though!

1. Pray for safe travel.
As a side note, I'm also the only one who ended up signing up to go on this trip. While I feel pretty comfortable traveling, pray that everything goes smoothly, and that God would protect me regardless!

2. Pray that I can learn to be more dependent on God.
This also goes along with being the only one to go on the trip. I'm excited about it, but I don't typically enjoy doing things by myself. I will be staying with a family, which I'm looking forward to, but pray that God would use this experience to teach me to rely more on Him.

3. Pray that I would have an open heart to learn what God wants to teach me and to do what He wants me to do.
Again, I don't really have a good idea of what to expect, so pray that I wouldn't be held back by fear, but that I would be able and willing to learn and to do!

My goal is to keep this blog updated while I'm gone so that whoever reads it can know what I'm doing, how God's working, and how to pray for Thailand! Also, just for fun, and since it's the end of the year, I'm going to post a picture of me and my beautiful roommates, who I already dearly miss! Lots of love to you all!