Ready... Set... GO!

18 hours and 43 minutes from now I will be boarding my first plane! That plane will take me on the biggest adventure of my life!

I am almost packed but not quite there! I have a few more things to get packed and I will definitely double, triple, quadruple check to make sure I have everything I need. As long as there are clothes, toiletries, and potato chip cookies (thanks to Pastor Tonya!) Amber is a happy girl! 

I am pretty sure that my emotional scale is almost to the point of maxing out. The past few weeks have been filled with ups and downs, feelings of excitement and nervousness, fear and faith, but luckily no tears... At least not yet! I am so thankful for the many friends, family, and church family that have gathered around me, supported me, encouraged me, and prayed for me as I begin this journey. Without the love of all the people in my life and the encouraging words they have spoken, I would probably be a nervous wreck. Their words and actions have helped me to stay mildly calm as I jump feet first into an adventure that will surely change my life. All of those people have shown me a great deal of kindness and love. And I definitely feel loved!!

Excitement, of course, is the most dominate emotion I have been experiencing lately. I am excited that I stepped out of my comfort zone to try something really crazy (for me at least)! I am excited and humbled to have been chosen for this internship. People say "There is a first time for everything" and this is definitely an adventure filled with many firsts! I am excited to see how God will use me, shape me, and challenge me. Suffice it to say, I am EXCITED!

What I have been preparing for is less than a day away and my excitement continues to grow as well as my nerves. I have done all I can to prepare for this but sometimes you just have to have a little faith. I know that God is with me and He has been guiding and preparing me for many weeks. Sometimes it even feels like He has been preparing me for this moment my entire life. I can here it now, the lyrics of the song that have been floating through my mind,

     

          Come away with Me, Come away with Me

          It's never too late, it's not too late, it's not too late for you

          I have a plan for you, I have a plan for you

          It's gonna be wild, it's gonna be great, it's gonna be full of Me

I also get the entertainment of having the theme song of the PBS cartoon show Cat in the Hat running through my mind as well. I have been walking around singing, "Go, go, go, go on an adventure. The thingamajigger is up and away!" All of those lovely days babysitting my nieces must have inspired that little tune. I am going on what will surely be a great adventure and it's gonna be wild, great, and full of God---A promise that I hold to tightly! I cannot wait to see what God has in store for me and the people I will be serving. 

I do ask that you continue to pray for me as I embark on this journey. I ask that you would pray for safe travels, God's work that will be done, and of course ME! There are so many things that you could pray for but the most important is that I will be faithful and sensitive to God's call and leadership in my life, so that He can truly be revealed and given the glory. I will need faith to conquer the fear, worry, stress, and nerves. I do not doubt that God can do the impossible and that if I am faithful, He can do the impossible through me. 

For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me." Jeremiah 29:11-13