37,003 ft, 557 mph, -60 °F

As I start this blog post I am flying over Nova Scotia on my way to London! 26 hours until I land in Nairobi! Boston was looking beautiful as usual as I said goodbye:

The past few days leading up to this trip have been amazing. Last week I finally got the chance to relax and enjoy summer (although it rained all week :/ ). On Thursday however, preparations for my sister Danielle's wedding began to intensify, and the baking of 400+ cookies (wedding favors) commenced. Friday night we (the bridesmaids) took Danielle to an authentic Ugandan/West African restaurant for her bachelorette party. It was a great experience to try out the food I will be eating for the next 10 weeks, and I think Danielle really enjoyed it! Saturday was packed with more wedding events...rehearsal, jewelry making, dinner, which all led up to the big day! It was a joy to be a part of something so exciting, and to see my sister marry such an awesome guy. Everything for the wedding went smoothly and we could not have asked for better weather. Danielle and Logan are now in Punta Cana enjoying their honeymoon. I am so excited for them and hope you will joining me in praying for there marriage! 

 In the above picture on the right is Colleen McBride, a close friend, fellow bridesmaid, and someone I look up to a lot. It was a blessing to get to spend the weekend with her because she went to Kenya last January, and definitely left her heart there :) It is crazy to see how God works….over Christmas break I was over her house multiple times as she prepared for Kenya. It was exciting to prayer for her, say goodbye, and follow her blog closely. I would have never guessed last January that I would quickly be following in her footsteps (and my sisters for that matter) on my own journey to Kenya/Uganda! She passed on to me a map of downtown Nairobi and 50 Kenya shillings which meant a lot to me. She helped me pack last night, prayed over me, and gave me a big hug as she said goodbye. And she let me borrow an amazing camera for me to take with me. So all photo credits should go to her! I can't thank her enough! 

Thanks to all of my friends and family who've texted/skyped/facebooked/hung out with me these past few days. Its encouraging to know so many people are home praying for me as I begin this crazy adventure. 

When I got to my gate this morning, I started flipping through my Bible and was comforted by some verses: 

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid: do not be discouraged,for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." -Joshua 1:9

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." -Matthew 28:18-19

The God of the universe has commanded us to not be afraid, and then He tells us obey everything He has commanded us. If such a big God, who has ALL authority on heaven and on earth, commands us to not be afraid, then how can we possibly fear? Choosing to fear is deliberately choosing to not trust in God, and to not obey in His commands. I am praying I can go forward and not fear, that I can be strong and courageous (yet still smart and cautious). And that whenever I begin to worry, I will remember that because Jesus has all authority, aka He is greater and more powerful than everything, that I should only be fearing Him (a sort of reverent respect), rather than any thing on this earth. God will be with me, in London, in Nairobi, in Uganda, in Boston. I believe that whole heartedly, and I believe that the more I trust Him, the more He can use me. 

"And He said to them, "Let's go on to the neighboring villages so that I may preach there too. This is why I have come." - Mark 1:38

I want God to use me in big ways, ways I can't even imagine or ask for. Even though I am going to Kenya to give people an alternative source of cooking fuel to improve their lives, I need to keep in mind that my ultimate purpose is to spread the Gospel, the Good News, that we have a Savior. Even Jesus, who healed the sick, cared for the poor, and loved on the orphans reminds us that the reason He came was to preach to people, to share with them the way to salvation, so they can have life to the full! Yes I want to improve people's lives in small ways by helping them cook their food, but I also hope to bring transformation to their lives in big ways, giving them eternal life!

Sorry for the length…I have a lot of time to kill if you know what I mean. But if you made it this far, I hope you enjoyed it, and will continue to stay updated on where God brings me. Feel free to contact me often, I love the encouragement and prayers! 

"Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."  -Ephesians 3:20    (yes! yes! yes! for all you bt-ers)

Oh and praise report: 

-the family I am staying with in Kenya has kids! yay! 

-my lacrosse sticks fit in my suitcase - get excited for pictures of lacrosse being played on Kenyan/Ugandan soil (for probably the first time). 

-I got the last window seat available on the plane, with an empty center seat, and a really nice guy sitting in the aisle seat.

-they have a country music station on the plane and one of my favorite songs was playing when I turned it on (Reid and all my Texas friends should appreciate this one :) )

-God is beautiful, and His creation reflects it. Seeing cities, the Atlantic, clouds, islands from up here is stunning. 

-KitKats and fresh pineapple as airplane snacks? God knew I needed more than peanuts and pretzels!