10 days + 15%

today, these numbers mean so much to me. 

in 10 short days, i will be leaving the freaking country with my team, for Guatemala. 

last night i had my first dream about airports + luggage + packing, and i woke up in almost disbelief. i always know for myself, that when i start to dream about something, then it has finally sunk in that it is happening. but it's still hard to believe that Guatemala is no longer just an out there dream, goal or a place i long to wander, but instead its a destination where God is taking me in only 10 days. a destination that isn't the end of the journey, but just the beginning of a new adventure. one i know i will never forget. 

i say that i am so ready to go, and i am. but sometimes i have to just stop in the middle of all the busyness, and realize what i am actually going to do. so today i'm thinking about all the children that we will have the chance to minister to and all the people we will get to meet. i look forward to the times where we will have opportunity to spend time with them, not just from on stage, but in their world, next to them in their chairs and in their classrooms, as they allow us to get an inside look of their reality. one that is so much different than our own. 

i pray that God would use me and speak through me during our visit. i am very aware of the fact that the Guatemalan people primarily speak spanish, whereas all i know how to say is 'hello how are you, what's your name + i like pizza!' but i trust that the Lord will use our actions, our smiles, and the love we have inside of us because of Jesus, to show these children how much we care about them, + how much Jesus can do for them in their life. 

for our presentations, we are focusing on the verse 'I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength' Philippians 4:13. i love this verse so much. it is simple, easy to remember, but also super impactful. we want these children to learn and understand how much Jesus can do for them, how He can change their whole life, and how they can do anything with Him on their side! 

my best friend Jade and i are going to be the hosts of the presentations in each school. something that is outside both of our comfort zones, but something we are so excited to do. we both know Jesus is the one who is actually leading, guiding and directing our presentations, He gets to be the star of the show. but we are thankful for the opportunity to lead in this new way. 

now you see why 10 days mean so much - it's because we leave in 10 DAYS! but why did i mention 15% .... 

well, the only reason i am able to go on this trip is because the Lord answered our families' prayers over my mom's kidneys. for those that have been following along, my mom has acute kidney disease and her kidney's have been failing for over 3 years now. last year they reached a percentage that worried us, and so we planned to do a transplant surgery with my mom + i this summer. except, a crazy thing happened. God intervened. 

my mom's kidney's didn't drop more in percentage like they had been doing the past year or so. they actually slowed down and have stayed at the same percentage for months. she has remained stable, and therefore a surgery is not needed yet, especially not this summer. and so, the only reason i am able to go to Guatemala, is because of this miracle. 

then on top of that - today, we found out that my mom's kidneys not only didn't drop in percentage, but actually went up 1% from her last meeting! making them stable at 15%. 

i am so thankful for the work God is doing all around me. i can't wait to see what He does next! 

i am ready for anything, 

in omnia paratus