I’ll be brutally honest when I say sitting down to write this was hard. I don’t particularly enjoy writing & I’m certainly not very good at it, even if it is just a little update. In my head I have all these great words and sentences that make perfect sense, but the second they go down on paper they sound ridiculous and over-thought. So when writing a new blog post, the task seems overwhelming. I want it to be perfect, to sound like I’m full of the Holy Spirit when in reality it’s just a messy jumble of all my thoughts in one spot. I think oftentimes life for Christians is like that, we don’t want to come across as a messy jumble, we want to look put together and like everything in our lives makes sense(or at least I do). If I’ve learned anything this year, it’s that there is no way to do that well. The beauty of Jesus and our walk with Him is that it’s okay if it’s messy. Messy like my blog posts, or my car, or the medicine shelf at the pool I work at, because no matter how messy we get, He’s there to pick us up. Since committing to the Race and 9 months abroad serving as the hands and feet of Jesus, life has gotten crazy, messy even. There’s so many little things you have to remember before leaving the country for this long. Do my wisdom teeth need to be pulled? What shots do I need? How am I going to get money? Which tent is the best? And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. It’s overwhelming, just like the pressure to write words that are full of wisdom or at the very least, make sense. But through all the crazy I know and can rest in the fact that Jesus is with me, leading me in the right direction. He hasn’t left me to figure it all out on my own, all I have to do is continue to have faith in His guidance and follow the path He is clearing for me. I think that even knowing this one thing has reassured me constantly since committing to the race and starting a new chapter of life. Saying goodbye to the comforts of my small town, my family and my friends is scary. And it might be even scarier knowing that even when I return home things will still be different, but there is comfort in knowing that God is in control and there’s an exciting new adventure about to begin. With a little over a month of time left in Virginia I’m thrilled to only be a little over $5,000 away from being fully funded & well on the way to having all the gear and other supplies I need to launch! The Lord has shown His goodness constantly in the past year and I know He will remain good throughout the next year and beyond. I still need continual prayer, even after launching, for the wisdom to make wise choices & to show the Lord’s love and grace in the ways He calls me to. & I’m still taking donations to cover the last bit of the trip’s cost along with gear and medicine(you can donate on this page!!). I’d love your support in any way you feel called & make sure to subscribe to my blog to follow along with my trip over the next year! I’m so incredibly excited and I couldn’t be here without each and everyone of you!!

Thanks for all your support & love,

Grace