Maui

Yesterday morning I got up early after a long night of making sure that I had everything that I needed, I got on an airplane headed for Maui. Most of the ride I was trying to tell myself not to be worried about Indonesia and that everything would be fine, and that I should just focus on where I was going. Honestly, it was a battle. I have been under a lot of stress these past few weeks and I really had to pray to get some peace. We hit the ground and walked over to the baggage claim, met and hugged my cousins for the first time in too long and the stress just began to go away. 

We went and got some dinner/lunch (what would have been 6pm our time, but was 2 here) and ate on a little secret covered terrace behind a local store. We then headed strait for the beach (mind you we have not even dropped off our luggage at the hotel yet) and swam for an hour. The water was alarmingly warm and blue and we had a view both of the sun and the moon by the mountains. Then we headed down the ocean lined highway to the other side of the island where we are staying. We got to the hotel and found out that the room we had rented (the 3 of us, me my aunt and my grandmother) had only one bed, but that is not a big deal. As we were getting checked in we began to talk to the teller about saving money and using coupons, to which she heartily agreed. After a few minutes she looked at us and said "The room you had booked is no longer available so you have been upgraded to a villa." We were shocked, and grandma went behind the counter and gave her a hug. 

After dropping our stuff off (not even settling in) at the beautiful room with a little kitchen, a king size bed, and a couch that can turn into a queen, we drove down the main road and picked up some stuff to cook for dinner. My cousin Peter started cooking, and my other cousin Grace and I hit the pool for a little night swimming. We came back an hour later and ate a wonderful meal and then finally went to bed. This morning plans include snorkeling and window shopping. All in all, God is good and Maui really is paradise. P. S. Please keep praying that my visa comes soon. I know it will, but prayer helps. 

My Last Night

It's getting late on my last night here. I have spent all day with family and friends, packing, double checking, praying, essentially just trying to finish getting ready. My flight leaves early tomorrow morning and I will be on my way to Maui. I am very excited, but this really is bitter-sweet. I don't know when I will be back, or what the future holds.
This is really happening isn't it? I feel like I am probably being a little bit too sentimental, but honestly, things really will never be the same again. I am looking forward to going out and finding grace and adventure and love and life, but though I left some of my heart in Indonesia when I came home, I will be leaving some of it here too. I guess the downside of having friends and family all over the world is that no matter where you are you are missing someone.
I just wanted to write a quick blog, to let you know that all of you are in my heart. I am excited and scared, I need your prayer, and I will see you soon.
P. S. You can sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" from either side.

My Last Week

I now have only a week and a half left here at home before I head out again on this next big adventure. At this point it is all that I can do to not freak out because of how big it all seems. Last night we were talking with some old friends about when my parents first began their carrier at 23 years old and how big and strange and scary it was for them, well here I am at 22 and I have the same feeling. I feel like I have no idea what I am doing, and as I look at them and see how far they have come I can't help but think that there are big things out there for me, but I am yet to discover what they may be. 

At this point I have my trip divided into three parts. Hawaii for two weeks is the first part, then Bandung for three weeks, and then Salatiga for the rest of however long it ends up being. If I think about the whole thing I will get very quickly overwhelmed and very quickly irritated because I have no idea what I am going up against (I do actually, but it all seems very big somehow). So, today I am focusing on spending time with family and friends and getting ready to go, then I will focus on my time in Hawaii, when I am done there I can focus on Bandung, and then I will get to Salatiga when I get to Salatiga. 

Another thing that I have decided to do that is a whole new venture in and of itself is that I have written an article about some of my time in Indonesia, and am wanting to send it into a travel magazine. This is always something that I have wanted to do, and what better time to try my luck than now? The other thing is that if I was able to somehow finance this better on my own then I would really be in better shape. I have the article written, and have looked at some magazines and am trying to prayerfully decide which would be the best one to go to. This is something that I would love some extra prayer for. I don't think I can think of anything I would like better than to travel the world, see all of God's wonderful creation (minister to those I meet) and come home and write about it in order to finance it. So please keep that in your prayers. Also pray because I have sent in all of my information about my visa but have not heard from them yet and time is getting short. I know that it will all work out fine, but I am struggling with not worrying about it. 

One more thing. I am sooooooo excited! I cannot wait to head back to South Eastern Asia, to the land of islands and spices, to the people of music and the sky full of lightning, to all that God has called me to. I am so excited that I did not even write that last line well =). I am really looking forward to my time in Hawaii with my cousins as well. I don't know exactly what will happen there but I am expecting God to do amazing things with me, with them, with the whole sha-bang. So as I sign off know that I am jumping in way over my head and that I am fully anticipating being drenched and discovering that I can swim. 

Getting Ready

Hi Everyone,

Well, just about everything is in place, there is one more technical thing that I have to get done, but I am waiting on some things to come in the mail in order to finish. So, I would like to ask that you guys pray that it happens soon because there is a bit of a time crunch at this point. Other than that I am just about all ready to go, which is a good thing because I have two and a half weeks before I go! On June 26 I head to Hawaii, and then on July 8 I will go on to Jakarta, and finally the first week of August I will be back in Salatiga and ready to start school on the 9th. 

I am really excited to go back, but have been super busy here too, just seeing everyone. I have been blessed to see some of my closest friends while I have been here, which really is a blessing because they don't really live close to me. Things seem to be really scattered, but everything that I have been praying about has happened. I think that the last thing I need is prayer. I don't, at this point, even know how to accurately tell you how much I really do crave your prayers. They are the thing that keeps me going. I am not worried, but I am going to a third-world Muslim country, so....ya. ;) 

I don't really know what else to say except for thank you to all of you have helped me, prayed for me, supported me, and everything else that you have done. I have most deffinately learned a lot on my trip home, and I know that God really is right, and it was good of Him to send me home when He did. As I have been getting ready to go, he has proved Himself over and over again, and I know that it is Him who is sending me over there. But, He has used all of you to do it. Bless you. I will update again soon.

Me