Preparing for the Unknown...

Just minutes ago I was in the midst of writing Thank You notes to all my supporters when it really hit me. In three weeks I will be in El Salvador. As that sunk in, questions started to flood my mind. What exactly will I be doing? What challenges will I face? Am I ready for this? As I think about preparing, it seems to be a bit of a mystery. How do you prepare for the unknown? It’s a question that I’ve been faced with a lot lately. Not just with El Salvador. Most areas of my life are completely unknown. I know today. I know the next three weeks. The next three weeks are planned. I know the people I’ll be with, the places I’ll be going, the things I’ll be doing. It’s the rhythm of life in Madison that I’ve learned and grown to love. It’s comfortable. But on Tuesday, September 21st I’m boarding a plane. I know the name of the city I’m going to: San Salvador, El Salvador. I know the name of the organization I’ll be working with: Christ for the City International. I know the name of a woman who works there: Elsa Urquilla. I know I’ll be flying back into Madison on December 17th. The rest is a mere shadow of what could be ahead. For the past year people asked me if I’m scared of not knowing what’s ahead. I wasn’t. I trusted. God provided. Would it be normal to be scared of the next 3 months? Would it be normal to be scared of not having a plan once I return? Yes, but I’m not. There’s an overwhelming sense of comfort that overcomes you when you begin to trust and repeatedly see God’s faithfulness shine through. It’s a comfort and peace that have continually been growing in me since a year and a half ago when I began to trust God to reveal the next step in His time. He’s taken me places I never would have dreamed of going, and done things in my life I could never have imagined would happen. If I’ve learned one thing, it’s to trust God to reveal the next step when it’s time, and to be ready to take it, no matter where it leads. So as I get ready to leave and find myself struggling to know how to prepare, maybe that’s ok. And maybe it’s exactly where I need to be. To look ahead and say, “God, I don’t know where I’m going, I don’t know what I’ll be doing or who I’ll meet, but I do know one thing… I’m going. And you’ve prepared the way.” Now it’s time to GO.