Today is the day

Hi all,

Well, the day has finally arrived. There have been months of preparation, days of saying goodbye and hours of packing. It has been difficult saying goodbye to everyone I love, but I'm excited for what comes next. I'm excited to be back in the country that stole my heart and to see where God leads me. And frankly, I'm tired of saying "goodbye" to people and I'm ready to start saying "hello"! :)

I started getting a little nervous this morning as I was taking a shower. I feel like I just have to keep going on auto-pilot so that my nerves don't get the best of me. Just keep breathing and praying, Michelle. I had a great conversation the other night with a really dear friend. She reminded me to remember the last time I heard God speak clearly to me and keep focused on what He spoke to me. I just have to keep remember the heart I have for Africa and its people and that trumps all the difficulties that I have faced and the struggles I will have while I am gone.

For those that want to track my flight or pray for me while I am flying (taking off, especially!) here are my flight details:
I leave PDX at 6:41 pm on 7/14, leave San Francisco at 10:27 pm on 7/14, and JFK at 11:15 am (EST; 8:15 am PST) on 7/15.

Thanks to all of you for your love and support. I will be updating my blog when I am able to and I will let everyone know how they can be in touch with me as soon as I find all that out. For now, email will be my main form of communication. I don't know when or how often I'll be able to check it, but until then, ciao!