So Close...

I am but a week away from being in Barbados. LESS than a week away from leaving.

My family will be taking me to Atlanta on Monday, from which airport I will be flying into Miami next Tuesday afternoon, where I will meet up with all the other students going on my project. We're spending the night at our Project Director's house, and then leaving bright and (VERY) early the next morning for the airport. Our flight is at about 10 AM, I think, so we should be there at about 3 PM (again, I think).

I am SO excited for this to finally happen--I don't know if things ever really hit me until about a day before they happen, so I'll probably be very calm until Monday, at which point my heart will be pounding, my palms will be sweating, and I'll be yawning a lot (that's just one of my personal quirks--I yawn repeatedly when I'm really nervous). This is totally unlike anything I've ever done before, and really it's about as far out of my comfort zone as I could get. I'm not a very social or particularly friendly person and it takes a certain amount of effort to get to know me, so the fact that I am going to a foreign country with a bunch of other kids I've never met before with the express purpose of talking to OTHER kids I've never met before...it's a stretch for me. And there is no possible way I could ever do it on my own. I KNOW that God is going to do amazing things in Barbados because He's already done amazing things just in getting me to this point. And I am going to have to trust Him 100% if this trip is going to have anything remotely resembling an effect on anyone involved.

Continue to pray for me, folks. I know that you've all been very dedicated about doing that because I can see the effects of your prayers. Pray until the second I get on that plane and then keep praying for the next 5 weeks. Pray for my group to form tight bonds with each other sot that we can be a more effective team (and make some amazing friendships). Pray that the hearts of the students at UWI will be open to hearing God's message. Pray for our safety in travel, and pray that God will work tremendously in our lives and the lives of the Bajans. Thank you all so much for your prayers and support, financially and emotionally. It's so cool to see God providing through others as well as seeing how excited some of you have been for me to have this opportunity. I appreciate it so much.

(Quick plug, as well: you can still contribute to this trip financially if you wish, by sending checks made out to Campus Crusade for Christ to my home address [1620 Houston Drive Spartanburg, SC 29307] for the next week.)