Hey Y'all!

One month from today I will be embarking on a journey that will absolutely change my life!

Whenever I tell people about the trip the most common 2 questions I get asked is:

1) what am I excited for?

2) what am I worried or scared about for this trip?

I would say I am so excited to live in a different culture. The idea of different religions, different values, and different ways of living life all in the same town I will be in excites me! Getting to see the world through so many different eyes is something that gets my heart racing!

I'm also excited for the culture of serving every day. The culture I live in right now is all about service for payment. I don't think that's a bad thing at all, but it gets very comfortable to live like that—living like everything you do should have a payment of some sort. That entitlement is real and is very easy to fall into. Going on a trip for 9 months to serve makes you live in a different culture in itself: a culture of serving, helping, and loving others with no money or payment in return! It excites me to learn what it means to lay down your wants for other people's needs, and not just for a week or a month, but for an entire school year!

As for what I'm worried about, I try not to worry a lot about this trip because I feel like if I start down that rabbit hole, I'll never get out of it. Something about me is I love having everything scheduled and planned out. World Race does not do that (lol). With the amount of people on my squad, we don't know what exact parts of Italy, Nepal, etc. that we will be serving in. We have to be flexible and ready to do whatever needs to be done without much explanation. We are being led by the Spirit, and the Holy Spirit doesn't have a written-out list of what needs to be done—it runs on God's time. That doesn't scare me, but it will definitely be an uncomfortable feeling!

I also want to be real about my mental health. Mental health is a constant battle, and I know traveling the world won't magically change that. I know I can handle myself, but I also know there might be days where anxiety or depression creep in—days where waking up and getting out of bed feels heavy. I just want to handle those moments with grace when they come. Every day I have to wake up and tell satan that he will not have authority over me and my mind. I could really use prayer that I take hold of my thoughts, give myself grace on the hard days, and lean on God's strength through it all.

🇯🇲 Exciting Update!

On a different note, I have such exciting news! The original plan was for my group to do 5 countries in 9 months, but now we get to add another country to the mix: Jamaica!! I will be going to Jamaica first, and then Italy, Nepal, Thailand, Indonesia, and Australia!

The reason why we are adding another country is because Hurricane Melissa that took place last fall hurt the Jamaican people pretty badly, and they need a helping hand. We will be doing a blend of hands-on manual labor projects (like replacing roofs and restoring homes) as well as relationship building with the local community, instilling new hope and demonstrating the love of Christ tangibly.

Well, that's all the news from me!

I would love your continued prayers for this journey! Also, my brother's wedding is coming up August 8th and I would love your prayers that it goes amazingly! He deserves all the happiness the world offers and more!

One more thing! If y'all have any questions about the trip or want to know more about something specific, please ask in the comments below! I couldn't have gotten to this point without your love, prayers, and support, so I would truly love to take the time to answer any questions you have!