swazi!

I leave for Swazi in 30 days!! I have never been so excited for a trip!
Most of my life I have been pretty cautious and tended to shy away from doing new things alone, because well it wasn’t as safe as doing something I already knew how to do with people I already knew.
I liked the comfort of what I know.
But something in me clicked last year before I went to Haiti. I didn’t know a single person going on the trip. But I wanted to go so badly I didn’t care. The funny thing is that as soon as I stopped worrying, I met one of my now closest friends (and future roomie!), Courtney, on our first trip up to Jacksonville for a meeting about the trip.
God moves in really strange ways bringing people together.
Fast forward to now…
I spent my spring semester searching for a trip to Africa this summer. I looked all over the place, online with nonprofits, churches etc., trying to find an affordable but exciting trip working with kids. I shouldn’t have wasted my time trying to “plan ahead” and find this amazing incredible trip anyways because the perfect trip was being planned by the church I already usually attend.
God moves in really strange ways bringing me opportunities.
Taking risks has never been something I have been good at. But I guess nothing is a risk to God, he knows what he is doing. I just need to rest in that. And he has taught me to be a lot better about risking by trusting him.
Considering all the trips I have been on, Haiti by far as been the best, the trip where I went in knowing no one and with few expectations about what we would actually end up doing…maybe I should just stop planning anything ha, seriously though…
In our meetings for Swazi so far, everyone who has already been keeps saying, “Just Remember, TIA…” (This is Africa…), meaning who knows what will happen when we get there…
A year ago that would have made me a little nervous. I mean, I like To-Do lists and plans, really like them a lot actually, but I think I have learned that the possibilities and opportunities “not-knowing” brings is a lot more fun after all.