The Time Has Come!

The time has come, we are officially heading off to Papua New Guinea!!!

As I previously wrote, there were definitely some prayer requests that we had as a team. Our staff have been working very hard to see that our visas are cleared and that we can get good deals on flights.  Well last night, we got news that our visas FINALLY cleared. We have been waiting for about 7 weeks for this to happen.

So here it is, our team leaves this Friday (this is Thursday for everyone in CA). We will be taking a grey hound bus up north to catch a flight into Port Moresby, PNG. Friday night, 17 of us (two teams) will be staying with a host in Port Moresby. The following day, or possibly a few days later, we will head out to Balimo and remain there until April 17th. We will catch a flight back to Port Moresby that weekend and welcome the ship in. Once the ship comes in, we will be staying there!

As I reflect on this past week, I realize that it was definitely trying. Daily we were hoping that today would be the day and when it wasn't, it was disappointing. One thing that our staff shared that really touched me was that as they prayed over our school, they got the verse Philippians 4:4, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" I realized at this time that all of this was something that God saw coming. I find that a lot of times I try to take situations into my own hands and at this point, things get frustrating.

I am definitely glad that I am called to rejoice in every circumstance because rejoicing is much more fun than being down. I am grateful that we had extra time here in Australia to prepare. We learned skits and went over testimonies so that we can give the people in PNG our best. While praying, it was really put on my heart that it is such a beautiful privilege that God is entrusting the lives of the people in PNG into our hands. With all of this said, I am so excited to go out and build relationships with these people. I do not know what to expect but I know that it is going to be a life changing experience.

No matter what obstacle comes my way, I want to always make it an opportunity. I want to rejoice because I have a reason to! I am blessed to be a blessing. This does not change because things aren't going how I want them to go. His plans are much greater.

As we prepare to leave, please keep us in your prayers. We would love prayer for safety, health, relationships that are to be built there, and that we are in-tune with what God wants to do. Thank you for all of your support! A special thank you to those of you who donated this past week, we are coming close to reaching our funds as a team.

I am grateful for all of you! I do not think that I will have internet for the next month but I will write as soon as I can :)