59 days

Tonight was our first night in our Missions Prep class that the team has to take. Each summer mission trip has to take it and those are Sri Lanka, India, Uganda, and Swaziland. Our professor is an absolutely incredible man. He's traveled all over the world and his passion for God and people is infectious. He said so many amazing things about missions and our worldview, but I couldn't help my mind wander to our individual trip. I couldn't get possible scenarios and situations out of my head. We will be there for 29 days. That is enough time to start a completely new routine in our home away from home. I can imagine us getting up and going through a day as if it was a normal day in our lives and we weren't actually thousands of miles away from our real homes. This of course, got me thinking about what home really is. I love the saying, "Home is where the heart is." I find this to be so true. One thing I notice is that I have more than one home. My home is with the people I love and cherish, so I have many possible homes all over the country.

I went to Mexico spring break of my freshman-junior year in high school through my church. I can honestly say that those trips changed my life and helped to make me the person I am today. I left a piece of my heart there and I know if I were to go back someday (I really hope to soon!) that it will still feel like home. The buildings have roofs and floors and the dining hall is probably larger, but I don't feel at home because of the buildings, I feel at home because of the people and the culture. The trips to Mexico were each a week and I left craving more. The Swaziland trip is so much longer and I can't imagine how much more I'll get attached to it. I love talking to the team from last year and hearing how much they still love it and how much their hearts ache to be back there. Will Bulembu feel like another home to me and the other people on my team? Will I constantly think about it and long to be back there? Only God knows at this point and I am completely at peace about that. This is not my trip. This is not my teams trip. This is God's trip. He has a plan for us that we cannot even begin to fathom.

We're starting to get into the more detailed part of our trip. We're figuring out funds, buying our flights, putting together packing lists, and so much more. So to balance that, we're starting life stories. Two people each week will share their lives with the group in order to bond us together more than we already are. I'm going to go off on a little tangent right now, so please forgive me. Our team is amazing. I cannot say how thankful I am that God has called this group to go on this particular trip. We work well together, we all have completely different strengths and weaknesses, we all have a heart to serve, and so much more. I thank God every day for the opportunity to serve alongside this incredible group of people. We're all going to be pushed outside of our comfort zone and will need each other and I can already see supportive and encouraging relationships growing. We also have just a little bit of fun together. ;)

Until next time, please continue to be praying for our fundraising efforts and the political unrest in Swaziland. Thank you! =)