Whoops

Ok, so it's only been almost a year since I last posted an update. Needless to say, I fell behind, and decided not to continue posting my sermons. Ah well. Such is parish life!

Well, internship is officially completed for me. It was bittersweet to leave the church. I loved every minute of my time there, built some fabulous relationships, and am sad to no longer be working every day with a fantastic staff and supervisor. At the same time, I am excited to have returned to campus to prepare for the start of my senior year, which will lead to graduation and hopefully a first-call! I've already had the opportunity to reconnect with some of my fellow classmates, which has made the transition a little easier--and more exciting! I'm looking forward to the end of the month when most of the rest of my class will have returned to campus, and we'll all be back as a "family" again.

Things to look forward to: I leave for Tukuyu, Tanzania, Africa in just 3 days. I'm excited, and a little nervous, too. It will be a fantastic trip, but despite our many meetings and planning sessions, it still feels like there is so much that I don't know. When I went to England, I at least had some idea of what to expect. When I went to Rome, I had some idea of what to expect. This time, I have no idea. And I guess that's a good thing. No expectations! But that also means a lot of uncertainty. And as we all know, I'm a crazy capricorn... which means I'm slightly anal/obsessive compulsive... and I like PLANS. I like to know ahead of time what's going to happen and when. So this will definitely be a step outside of my comfort zone in a lot of ways. Oh, and did I mention there's an 18-hour plane ride? Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE to fly... but I don't like 747s. I hate jets. Single-engine planes, F-16s? FABULOUS! Jets? Yikes. 18 hours of being on a jet plane. Flying to Europe was rough. The last 2-3 hours of the flight, and I was starting to get antsy... I was feeling trapped. And now I'm going to be on a plane for 18 hours? What was I thinking?! (I'm thinking this would be a good time to get an Rx for valium and sleep the flight away! Too bad it's too late for that!).

But in all seriousness, I am also very excited for all the thing that will happen when we get there. It's an amazing opportunity, and I'm very much looking forward to meeting the people and continuing to build relationships with our brothers and sisters around the world. Praise God for His awesomeness! (And yes, I do realize that I just made up a word).

Finally, I promise to make a better attempt at keeping up with blogging, although I doubt there will be anything else to add before I leave. So a final request to all who may read this: Please keep me and the other 10 members of the delegation from the synod in your thoughts and the people that we will meet in your prayers over the next few weeks, that relationships may be formed and strengthened, and God's goodness and amazing love may be made known.

God bless and keep you all, and look for a post of our return!!