23 before 24

This is a tradition that my roomies started a few years ago and I have joined in on the fun, so here goes. The following is the list of 23 things that I would like to accomplish before I turn 24 next May (in no particular order).

1. Go to Sudan, Africa and apply to go on a mission trip in 2012 with The Village Church

2. Take a cake decorating class

3. Support a Compassion child and write him/her each month

4. Read or listen to 20 new books

5. Loose 15 pounds

6. Build up my savings account

7. Score another goal in a soccer game

8. Teach my students about Sudan and impart "a love for the nations" to them

9. Decorate my new apartment in a frugal but cute way :)
10. Become a volunteer in Little Village or Crash (middle school) at my church
11. Create an awesome bulletin board outside of my classroom
12. Watch all seasons of Private Practice (I've only seen the most reason season and feel SO behind!)
13. Learn to make 2 new meals/desserts each month.
14. Workout 3 times a week, not including soccer games.
15. Try 10 restaurants in my "new" area
16. Save $75 per month to put towards my next mission trip
17. Complete 4 Bible studies
18. Read Radical and Radical Together by David Platt
19. Participate in one of the women's Bible studies at my church
20. Sell my clipboards on etsy.com
21. Learn some Juba Arabic
22. Learn to crochet

23. Be a bridesmaid...I can feel it. It is going to happen this year. I just know it. ;)

Off to Africa!!!

I leave for Sudan today!!!! I didn't really know if this day would come, but it has! The last few days have been a whirl-wind of craziness but I am packed and the awesome roomies are taking me to lunch before we head to the airport. Please continue to pray for our trip, team members, and the precious Sudanese people that we will be serving! I will be keeping a journal so that when I return I can post about the amazing experiences that the Lord gave me...so, stay tuned! ;) 

In order to keep up with how the trip is going, you can click this link and check out the blog that is put up on The Village Church's website. This will also give you access to Kristy's Guatemala trip blog. 

~Much love and appreciation, sweet readers!

Pack It Up!

One of my prayers is already being answered, kind of. I previously posted that I was nervous about getting all of my stuff for the trip packed into one bag. This continues to pose a problem, but the bag that I will be packing everything into has arrived AND it is awesome!!! This is no ordinary backpack! It has great lumbar support so that I can haul everything and not regret that extra pair of shoes. ;) It also has a detachable fanny pack. No worries, I will ask those on my trip to abandon me should decide to wear this thing. Fanny packs are despicable and even in Africa I vow to not succumb to this fashion tragedy.

I will be sure to post a picture of this thing once I pack it full of all my stuff. 

Much love my friends!

Almost There

1 week......
7 days......
168 hours......
10,080 minutes......

......until I leave for Africa!!!! I can not even explain to you how excited I am for this mission trip to begin! Of course, I am a bit nervous about a few things (It would make my day if you could pray for these things with me, thanks!):
~packing everything into one backpack that weighs under 33 lbs.
~selling all of my Sudan shirts
~getting everything accomplished here that I need to
~gathering all of my supplies for the trip
~figuring out what to do to occupy my 26 or so hours on the plane ride

I am confident that my Father has all of this in His hands and will see that it is done according to His perfect will. Thank you for your prayers as I make these last minute preparations!

Sudan Update

*At our Sonic fundraiser last Saturday we raised about $1,500 for the team! We are very thankful that God blessed our efforts and I'm very appreciative to Deanna and Kristy for car-hopping with me! :) Also, a BIG thank you to all of those who came out and tipped us!

*We leave for Africa in 12 DAYS!!!

*I completed my round of 5 shots.....$250.00 later, I NEVER want to see a needle again (wishful thinking).

*Most importantly.....my team is selling shirts to help raise money, prayer, and awareness for Sudan. If you would like to order one please leave a comment here, message me on Facebook, or send me an email. They are $15 each and come in sizes S, M, L, and XL.
Here is what they look like:

As always, thank you for your continued prayer and support, God is doing GREAT things for the nations!!!