Uganda trip!

My heart is so full.

Today, we were finally able to buy our plane tickets(for my sister Carissa and me)  to go to Uganda in September! Set in stone. No more obstacles to get over, no more pain-in-the-butt airlines to deal with, no more long hours for my poor mommy to figure out if there's yet another way to get us there in September. We are GOING! And the only way that all of that worked is that our God is SO faithful and He ALWAYS comes through when He promises He will. He is good. ALL the time. I give Him and Him alone all the glory for that because there is no other way it could've worked out!

We were able to buy our tickets for just over $300 a piece because my parents each had been collecting frequent flyer miles ever since November of 2005, when they went to Korea to adopt my sweet little sister Kimberly. Seven years ago they started collecting those miles, having no idea what God had in mind for them.

A few years ago, Carissa and I felt the call to go to Uganda, Africa. We felt it at different times. She felt it a little while before I did, but we were both definitely called. But God has not and has not called us to do the same ministry while we're there. She has a passion to open up a special needs group home for kids and to serve as a physical therapist. That is exactly the reason my family has moved to Guatemala(to open up a special needs group home for kids) and you can just tell by the way she works with and loves on those kids that that is what she is called to do!

I, on the other hand, do not have a specific ministry in mind. I don't know exactly what work I am supposed to do when I get there, but I do know that have a passion for my Jesus who died for me and who has shown me an incredible love that I could never, ever deserve. He gave me hope in my life back when I thought there was none.

As you likely know, my biological sister Ashley and I were put into foster care when I was 7 and then we were adopted when I was 10. To make a very, very long story short, I was a little girl with no hope. I was taken away from my mommy and daddy, who (even though they were very far from being perfect) were my world. They were ripped out of my life, and I was expected to live on, I was expected to make it in life without them. I thought that was going to be impossible.
But God is indescribably wonderful and faithful and He sent my biological sister and me a hope we could have never imagined. He sent us the most beautiful physical gift I have ever recieved. And that gift was my family that I now have. They are the most incredible family anyone could ever ask for.
Not only did they step up and be the family I so desperately needed, they taught me a love I had never known before. And that was(and still is) the incredible love of my Jesus. They not only taught us about this incredible love with words, they showed it to us by the way they lived. And they showed us what it's like to love our Jesus back, and what it's like to serve Him, and to follow radically after Him.
God placed those people in my life at the exact moment I needed them. I was given a hope and a new perspective on life . They were the hands and the feet of my Jesus since He was not here on this earth to take care of me Himself.

My passion is to do the very same thing.
Whether I work in a feeding program, open a clinic, open an orphanage, or do street evangelism, I want to love. I want to teach them the love that our Jesus has for them, I want to bring hope they never could've imagined. Not only do I want to teach it to them, I want to live it out! I want to love them and I want to bring hope in their seemingly hopeless situations. I want to be the hands and feet of my Jesus. I want to pour myself out to others so that they may learn how to love Him back, to serve, and to live radically for Him. And then maybe they can share that very love with others around them.

I understand that I can't do this on my own. I know that I am weak and small and that when I'm all by myself, I can't make a difference. But I know that with an incredibly HUGE God living inside of me, I can do anthing. As long as I'm trusting Him with all I am, following Him wherever He leads, serving others as much as I can, and loving others as He loves me, He will change Uganda in a radical way.

I must admit that while I was waiting for God to provide these tickets. I had moments where I lost patience, I got upset and discouraged, and I had times where I wasn't trusting. And there are definitely times where I start to get scared thinking about what the future might hold because this is such a huge, new step in life for me to take. But all in all, I'm learning to trust God, even when it seems impossible or when it seems like every possible door has been closed in my face. When God calls, He provides. Anytime I start to doubt or fear, He reminds me that He is still good and He still has a plan way bigger and better than I have planned. He reminds me that if I just close my eyes and let Him sweep me away in His never-ending grace and undying love, He will make it all worth it.

So I ask all of you to pray with me as we prepare for, take the trip, and return from the trip. Prayers are definitely needed that I will know exactly what God wants me to do with this call He has for me, and that I will have the courage to follow it, no matter what it may be. And that we will get the rest of our support!
I am SO excited about this trip, and I will make sure that I keep you all posted during the whole process!
God bless!