It's really hitting me that I'm spending my summer 8,000 miles away, halfway across the world.
It's hitting me that I'll be spending my days playing with and teaching kids, exploring a country I know relatively nothing about, and trying to communicate in Nepali.
It's hitting me that for six weeks I can't spend my afternoons in a coffee shop or watching Netflix, I won't have hot showers, and I will be eating rice & lentils for most meals. (Though I doubt those things will cross my mind once I'm there!)
It's hitting me that Nepal is a very real place with people I can't wait to meet.
The question that everyone is asking me-- "Are you ready for Nepal?"-- brings up feelings of excitement and terror simultaneously. YES I'm so ready and could hop on a plane right now. I'm ready to finally meet my teammates, ready to jump fully into life in Nepal. I'm so ready to eat Nepali food, hike the foothills of the Himalayas, and meet these kids I've prayed so much for.
Except, NO, I'm not ready at the same time. There's so much to do before disappearing from the country for 6 weeks. I have a suitcase to pack, I have so much more research to do, information to digest and process, and so much to prepare my mind for. I'm not ready for this, and it's all a tad overwhelming.
But you know what else is overwhelming? The sense that God is here, and all of this is going to be so great. I'm exactly where He wants me to be. And I'm not doing this alone-- He's here, right beside me every step. The sense of peace is overwhelming. That's an amazing thing, especially in the face of an earthquake, uncertainty, and the fact that this is a huge thing I'm about to do.
No reserves. I don't want to hold anything back in this journey. I'm following Christ wholeheartedly, without reserves. I want my six weeks in Nepal to be characterized by a love without reserves-- love for Christ, for my team, for the people of Nepal. I want to fully experience everything that God brings.
No retreat. While I'm beyond excited and can't wait for this summer, I know that there will be times when it is hard. But when those days come-- the ones where I want to shut down, be alone, or quit-- retreat isn't an option. This is where God has called me, and this is where He's put me. "The cross before me, still I will follow. No turning back."
No regrets. The cost of going to Nepal isn't even considered a legitimate cost when compared to the benefit & joy of following Jesus. The inconveniences, hard days, hot weather, cold showers, separation from people in the States-- they're nothing when weighed against the things I'll learn & experience. Getting a better glimpse of the character of God is worth any hardship. Getting to be the hands & feet of Jesus is worth any number of long days. At the end of this trip, I want to look back and see God's work-- no regrets.
I can't do this trip on my own. There's no way I can live without reserves, serve & love without retreat, or return home with no regrets unless God is with me. I can't do anything without His strength. Please, please continue to pray for me in this journey. I can't wait to get on that plane, meet my team, jump into life in Nepal.
It's going to be fantastic.
