Thankful

As my trip to Bolivia rapidly approaches, I wanted to take some time to reflect on God's provision. So many emotions are circling through my mind, but the biggest right now is thankfulness. I am so thankful for God's providence. His loving and grace-filled hand has touched every aspect of this trip.

I am so thankful for my parents. Their counsel and willingness to let me travel to Bolivia have been such a blessing to me. My mom and dad have encouraged me when I had doubts about the trip. They counseled me with vaccines, Visa information, traveling and short-term missions preparation. My parents show me Christ and I praise God for them.

I am so thankful for the Bells. I would not be able to go to Bolivia without their hospitality and kindness. They opened up their home to me with open arms and fed, loved and cared for me in-between school getting out and Bolivia. I was so burnt out from school but having a place to relax and rest means the world to me. Kathleen is an incredible friend. She was willing to drive me all around town so that I could finish up all the errands I needed to do for Bolivia. Over the past couple days we have run, hiked, baked, slept, and watched a ton of movies. The Bells have been such a blessing to me.

P.S. Mrs. Bell is an incredible cook, especially her artichokes. And I am not being sarcastic. :)

I am so thankful for the Harabedians. They have been such a blessing in my life this year. From Mrs. Haradbedian bringing my roommates and I food to Elyse driving me to the airport- they are the best. They always make me feel at home and have been a great encouragement to me as I prepare for Bolivia. Elyse will be waking up early to drive me to the airport. Now, I know for most people 7:30 is not too early- but Elyse is a night owl so I know this is a big sacrifice for her. Even though she could have easily slept in, she is willing to drive me to LAX. Elyse, I am so thankful for you and your family.

I am so thankful for my donors. I wish I could personally thank all of you, but I don't know if that is allowed without your permission. But, THANK YOU (you all know who you are). :) To those who wrote checks, prayed, fed me, encouraged and helped me get to Bolivia-- your donations to my trip has shown me the love of Christ. I will be praying for you in the months ahead, thanking God for your generosity. Thank you for using your gifts to further God's kingdom.

I am so thankful for Bethany Community Church. Man, I love this church. They have been a huge blessing in my walk with Christ and have really shown me what the church is meant to be. In one of my classes this year we learned that the church is to be a 'Christ centered missional community'. That is what BCC is. They donated to my trip and are praying for my time in Bolivia. Most of my donors are people that go to my church. Their generosity and love is something I am so thankful for.

I am so thankful for Daniel White. He is the volunteer coordinator for Hospitals of Hope. I probably have sent him 1 million emails asking random and (most of the time) stupid questions. You know what? He graciously responds and answers all my concerns. I would not be able to go to Bolivia without his handwork. I am so grateful for all of the work that he has done to allow me to go.

I am so thankful for Rachel Longton. Rachel and I haven't met yet, but she has already been a huge blessing to me. After my church donated to my trip, one of the ladies on the missions board emailed about another person who had served with Hospitals of Hope. I was ecstatic because I hadn't talked to anyone who had worked with HOH before. Rachel not only is a nurse, but she is from Washington and went to Whitworth. We started emailing and she helped explain more of what Cochabamba is like as well as how to prepare. She was very wise in telling me that the best way to prepare for missions is to abide in Christ. She had encouraged me and we will be getting together once a week while I am in Bolivia. I am sure I will do another post on Rachel sometime soon, but I am so thankful for her friendship and I am excited to get to know her more as time goes on. 

I am so thankful for Global Studies (a class I took this semester at Biola). This class came at the perfect time. It was an introduction to missions and what it means to be a 'global Christian.' I learned that missions is about worship, that short-term missions do have a place in God's kingdom and that only when humans live in God's story do they find real purpose. God knew that this was the class I needed to take before Bolivia as it has prepared me for all things STM. Praise God!

As I go off into the great unknown, I am comforted by the fact that I have incredible people praying and supporting me. If nothing else, God has shown me the power of community and the church through my preparation for Bolivia. I have seen the hand of God work in many ways- big and small. Thank you to everyone who has prayed and continues to pray for this trip.