Goodbye, America

Less than 5 hours!!  :)  Wow.  Okay, I don't think I actually realize how long 12 weeks really is.  That's close to the length of a semester...a lot can happen in a semester...hence, a lot can happen in 12 weeks.  I don't even know if I grasped "12 weeks" while packing...oh well!  Perhaps I will finally learn the difference between "need" and "want"...

I spent some quality time with my family today.  It was good to talk and laugh together (and eat, of course!).  I picked my brother up from school after his AP exam, ran some errands with him (or rather, he with me), went shopping with him and mommy, met up with daddy for dinner, went to the park and walked around/played Frisbee, and then packed and repacked and repacked and repacked my suitcase.

It's getting late so sorry if this post is a bit scattered.  I will be going to bed and getting up again all within the next 3 hours.  Please pray for me :)

1. Anxieties about traveling alone to a foreign country
   
   • Safety
   • Smooth flight transfers (Orlando-JFK, JFK-Hong Kong, Hong Kong-Manila)
   • That I won’t lose luggage—or anything for that matter
   • That I won’t get lost…in the airport or in the country
   • That my cell phone will work
   • That I’ll know how to use money…and other things that I usually take for granted
   • That I would stay calm and just relax...but alert!
2. Physical Health
   
   • That I will adjust quickly to the heat & humidity (my body doesn’t usually adjust well to heat or humidity)
   • Adjusting to the 12 hour time change
   • Adjusting to a new diet and concept of time
   • Extra energy/patience/joyful spirit as I meet new people and encounter a new culture
3. Loneliness and homesickness
   
   • That God would use this time to teach me
   • That He would provide me with a good friend/confidant
   • That He would be with my parents and brother in Florida (especially as they make preparations for Jerry’s transition to college this Fall)
   • For an attitude of openness and flexibility
   • That I would not turn inward and focus on myself
4. Research Preparation
   
   • Good, long, rapport-building, friendship-establishing, conversations with LBCRC church leaders and members
   • Fruitful interactions
   • Wisdom
   • Clear understanding/communication of what LBCRC would like to see from my research, how we can best work together, and how I can best serve them with my time and ability
   • That I would have love and not get lost in all the details (because I tend to make too much of the details)

Faithfulness

Recently I've been thinking more and more about the internship placement process I've walked through this past year...planning to go to NYC, then ending up in the Philippines; planning to do domestic child/family development, ending up doing international economic development; having all these options to do research in areas I'm familiar with, on topics I've looked into on my own, but then actually committing to do research in a field I have no experience in whatsoever (other than the research I did for my research paper).  But, you know, our God really is awesome!  I love that he laid all these options before me, blinded my eyes to these obscurities while I was walking, and then opened my eyes to the amazing way he had been guiding me all along - I never would have willingly made any of these choices on my own.  I know that whatever fruit I reap from this trip will solely be His doing because, really, I am not able, but He is able.

Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.  How awesome is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth!  Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.  For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.
-Psalm 47:1-2, 6-7

Home, Sweet Home

I'm writing this post as I sit on the floor of my living room in Florida.  Florida smells really nice right now (strange thought, I know...but I walked out of the bank today after running some errands and those were the exact words I said to myself).  It's good to be home.

Spring semester 2010 - over.  End of the year cleaning and packing - over.  Long drive back home - also over. 

Now that the whirlwind of school/finals/papers/cleaning/RA paperwork has stopped, I finally have some time to consciously process the fact that I'm flying out of the country in 2 days!  Wow...in 56 hours.  ...Over 21 hours of flight time, not to mention airport time.  I'm excited :)  It'll be a good chance for me to think about the upcoming 3 months.

I spent most of yesterday evening making lists of things to do.  I spent most of today completing and crossing things off that list and then realizing all the things I forgot to write down yesterday. 

Some quick updates and praises:
-My Visa to the Philippines arrived in the mail last week.  phew!
-All of my fund-raising is complete!  Thank you for your generous gifts!  and keep praying :)

Some prayer requests:
-That the Lord would calm my anxieties about last minute travel preparations/paperwork and traveling alone
-For rest and safety during travel
-That I would have an unquenchable thirst for God and take time to just be still before Him, especially as my life is currently just "go go go"

Until next time ... :)