leaving.

Proverbs 13:19 - "A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul".

• 2,000 trips to Target [check]
• repacking my suitcase 8 times [check]
• enough medicine to cure a village [check]
• hard core mosquito repellent [check]
• shiny new blank journal [check]
• giraffe print travel pillow! [check]
• camera to capture the moments [check]
• bible to get me through the day [check]
• prepared for what lies ahead [not even close!!]
  

I keep looking at the clock and imaging what time it is of Uganda. Smiles on dark faces keep floating through my mind. That must mean only one thing...... I am FINALLY leaving for UGANDA!!! YAY!!

I am still in complete shock that I am going. I have no idea what is awaiting me and for the first time in my life I am completely ok with that! I feel like I have spent this entire summer pouring over people's blogs and pictures I have found on Facebook of EAC in Uganda. I have spent a lot of time reflecting over the events of this past year and as hard and as painful as many of them were...I am so thankful that the Lord allowed everything to happen... because now I get to live out a dream of going to Africa. I feel like everything in my life has been leading up to this moment. I am standing at a precipice and I am ready to jump. (those of you who know me well know how much i despise roller coasters and heights and really anything to do with falling....so I am still shocked at how calm I feel about everything!) I have a sneaking suspicion that the Lord will show me more than I could have ever expected and break me in ways that will humble me and lead me deeper and closer to Him. I can't wait! I have spent far too long making my life about things other than the Lord. My hope and prayer for this journey is that the Lord will teach me how to love more fully and deeply and completely, and cause an irresistible revolution to awaken in my soul that can never be extinguished.

I will be leaving from Raleigh at 11:15am tomorrow morning and travelling to Charlotte, New York (spend the night there), Johannesburg South Africa (15 hour flight), and finally to Entebbe, Uganda. In Entebbe the wonderful people of Empower a Child will be picking me up complete with a sign and driving me to the house I will be living in! I have no clue how great the internet connection is going to be but hopefully I will be able to post within the first day or so.

I now leave you with a quote from one of my favorite authors, Donald Miller. This is from the prologue of his book "Through Painted Deserts". A book that chronicles his cross country trip in a VW Van with a good friend.
[warning: this blog will probably include many book quotes, I love to read and many times others words more fully express what I am feeling]

"I want to repeat one word for you:
leave.
Roll the word around on your tongue for a bit. It is a beautiful word, 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."

Now I am doing the one thing I have never wanted to do or expected to do. I am leaving.

and I could not be more excited!