from one journey to the next...

For the past 10 days I have been enjoying life in Durango, Colorado! I came back to camp to volunteer as the camp nurse during staff week and to set up the Health Center and it has been surprisingly eventful! I have spent time with great friends from last summer, made new great friends, and have re-encountered my love for Colorado once more! Although I am absolutely heart broken to be leaving camp tomorrow morning I have been more than blessed by the people here and the love they have shown me! It brings me such joy to be here and I know that the Lord will be working here in incredible ways this summer.

Today I recieved an email from Amanda (my sister) saying that she arived in Kenya safely! She has been traveling the world doing missions and has actually been assigned to be in Kenya during the month of June which just happens to be the exact place I will be at the exact time! We haven't figured out details yet about how we are going to meet up but we know that the Lord will provide favor in our travels and schedules to make it work. In her email, Amanda left me a scavanger hunt to do in the airport in Kenya for a note that she had hidden for me. It bring me tears to think that I will find a note with her cute handwritting on it that was placed specifically by her for me! I cant explain the feeling but just knowing that we will be in the same country gives me a great peace and happiness. I love knowing that I will be so close to her!

At this point I really am praying for safety with traveling. I know that I rest in the Lord's hands and He will protect me and take care of me!!! It seems a little weird when I think about traveling on my own for such a long time but I suppose its all part of this adventure! I cant wait to meet new people and encounter people that I can share Christ's love with. A few weeks ago some of my closest friends were praying over me at church for my trip to Africa! I have never felt so blessed and truely COVERED in prayer! Today I recieved a booklet of letters from other counselors here at camp and I can't begin to explain the emotions that came with it! What a sweet sweet blessing from the staff! Thank you for your encouragement and prayers!!!

Thank you, Lord for a strong community that supports me so well!

So... here I go from one journey to the next, ready to serve the Lord in a completely new way!

...and the journey continues!

I am so sad to say that the two explorers are now only down to one. Keelie had an incredible opportunity to begin a nursing residency program at Cook Children's in Fort Worth and she has accepted the position! She begins June 5th, therefore will not be able to go to Africa but will definitely be there at heart! I am SO excited for her to start her nursing career at such a wonderful hospital but will definitely miss her when I am eating bugs in Africa! :) When Keelie told me about this position and that she could no longer go on the trip, I was surprised by my reaction. I feel like normally I would jump right on it to find a way to cancel our tickets and just assume that this was something I had to "fix"... instead the Lord gave me such a supernatural peace about the entire situation and I simply took a step back and turned to the Lord saying "what next?" After several days of praying and contacting the organization about safety concerns with going alone, I feel like now more than ever the Lord is saying "go!" Its such an incredible feeling to know that I am growing in my relationship with the Lord and have learned to TRUST Him in a whole new way. I pray that I can continue to learn how to listen and respond to His word! So, here we go! I have placed every ounce of control out of my hands and into the Lord's because I know that His plans are far greater than my own! Please pray for safety and that the Lord will fully prepare my heart for what is ahead. Im so thankful that I stand on a ROCK that can not be shaken!

more to come on trip details soon!

... and the journey begins

About two months ago, in the mists of "studying" for our finals, Keelie and I decided that we were going to embark on this adventure to Africa! We had no idea what this was going to look like or how we were going to get there but we knew that we MUST go! :) We began researching different medical missions trips and contacting different people to find the perfect opportunity for us... and we found it! International Volunteer HQ is an organization that sends out volunteers all around the world to take on medical, educational, and orphanage work in developing countries. The mission we have taken on is in Kenya, Africa and located in the Maasai tribe. We will be there for 27 days in June and cannot wait for the Lord to work through us and open our eyes to a completely different part of His world. We are so excited for this opportunity to start out our nursing career serving the Lord overseas for such an extended time! After researching more information about this tribe, we had found that this could be one of the most impactful and humbling experiences we have ever been a part of!!! No electricity, no running water, a VERY interesting diet, limited medical resources... we are truly in for an ADVENTURE!
For these reasons we have claimed "hakuna matata" for our blog title... "don't worry, enjoy life!" We have a feeling this may be quoted multiple times throughout the mission and we are up for the challenge!

Please pray for the Lord to provide financially and continue to prepare our hearts for this journey!