Well, this is definitely going to be quite the adventure! ;)
Lately, life has been just a little crazy (hence my neglect to post anything) My first update was entitled "A Time To Prepare" and God has definitely been using this time to work in me and grow me and walk me through more intense things than ever before to refine me and equip me for this trip.
It's definitely been hard. It's been a struggle. It's been overwhelming at times. But through it all, He has remained faithful, and He's offered His hand of love to me over and over again to pull me through.
To be honest with you, the past few months have been full of so many spiritual attacks from the enemy. Against me, against my relationships, against my support raising. All to keep me from going on this trip. And yet, that should be encouraging. That means the enemy is terrified at how God is going to use this trip and my team to break strongholds of darkness and bring His light to many aching hearts.
I am so excited to see how God's victory will shine through in all of this. He has BIG plans, and there's nothing the enemy can do to thwart them.
No matter how many times I feel discouraged. No matter how many times the anxiety sets in of how much support I still have left to raise. Or how many people here at home I still want to get to invest in. And how little time I have left for everything. HE will be victorious. and He WILL have His way.
Okay, so updates. :)
June 11, my team got to meet over video call!! My internet was not being nice that day, and I had to miss the first ten minutes of the call. So when I got on, our director, Jill, immediately said, "Yay! Esther's here. We can get started", and we jumped right in to all the real discussion. I couldn't figure out how to see more than just the one person talking on my Zoom screen (I'm not techy, okay) but as Jill and Bethanie (our other director) talked and had different ones of us answer, I gradually got "introduced" to each other person on my team.
And while, okay, it is a little awkward having to meet people over zoom...(especially if you're late and miss all the "ice-breaking" small talk) it was good. And I just got so excited! Because...it is SO evident that God has been the one to bring this team together. And He's provided each person here with just the gifts and strengths to complement the rest of us. We're a team completely put together by our awesome God. And I can't wait for us to grow even more and more into exactly the beautiful extension of His heart to others on this trip.
Okay, so here's my team. (we've been doing team calls every week now, and I love them all so much)
Okay, so left to right, top to bottom. First there's Jill and Bethanie (our directors, but they won't be going on the trip with us or anything. They just 'direct" everything. ;))
Ira: She's actually Russian, and lives there in Russia, but her parents came to Christ through Cru years ago, so she's already really familiar with the organization and eager to join in their work. She's so much fun, and I'm so glad she'll be on the team with us.
Gabriel: Wow. That's a cool story. And I may tell it in a later post. Or have him as my "guest star" ;P and have him tell the story. But, long story short, I "met" him a few months ago (not in person yet- because he's a missionary kid "somewhere around the Mediterranean") and through me telling him about my plans for this next year, God led him to apply and made a way through all the obstacles for him to be accepted! And...apparently the team directors had been praying for another guy to join! ;) But yeah, Gabriel is pretty great, and we've already become really good friends.
Dani: She lives in Texas! Which is so cool. (all Dad's side of my family lives there) She's actually the oldest on the team. (We did all the math to line us up in our "birth order" for the "siblings roles" we'll get to play for each other on this trip. We're all just graduated high school seniors, but Dani will be 19 in September, while the rest of us are 18 and 17.) She is so sweet, and I'm so excited to have her as my "big sis" on this trip. <3
Sully: is the one other guy. He lives in Hershey Pennsylvania (IKR?!) and is super smart (like everyone else on my team too except me...at least there are enough geniuses on this team that I won't ever have to math myself again. ;)) He's also great at cooking...so we may have to nominate him as our team chef. :D
me
Hannah: She lives in Illinois, and we're the two closest in age on the team (I think). So we'll be the "twins". Which will be fun. :D
It's been so fun getting to know everyone through our weekly calls, our group chats, and individual emails and messages. I'm so, so excited to see how God will use all of us.
And...the discouragement I had been feeling a lot of over my support raising from all the set backs and attacks against it I've been facing, has already been lifted so much just through knowing my team now. Knowing we're all in this together. And God has so clearly drawn each of us to this place. And He will provide. And not one of us will be left behind.
We're down to 2 months (supposedly) until we leave on the trip. Only...there's kind of a pandemic going on right now. So any "plans" we have are so up in the air and out of our control. We can't know where we'll be going exactly, Even when we'll be going. BUT, to be honest, that makes me even more excited for this trip. After all, it's all up to God to work it out. And I know He will. And His best purposes will be established for us as a team. So, we're waiting on Him. Trusting in Him. And preparing for the adventure of a lifetime. :)