Preparation

It's absolutely bonkers to think that a week from today I'll be on a plane to Europe. This journey has already been a long one and I haven't even gotten to the actual traveling part! Please pray that I will stay healthy, and for safe and uneventful travel when I depart next week on May 28th.

Everything is finally ready - I'm fully funded (thanks to all of you!), fully packed, and have been practicing all our music and what little Polish I know like crazy. I don't think it will feel real until I'm on the plane, or maybe not even until I land.

One thing that does feel real, and has felt real throughout this entire process, is God. When the unexpected death of my father prevented me from going last year, I was initially very discouraged and wondered if I had made the right decision, questioning whether I actually felt God calling me to Poland or not. I was so confused because I had felt so strongly that I still had work to do in Poland, but nothing was working out, and instead I had to stay behind and spend time on myself working through grief. But God knew that I needed that season, and I felt Him there with me through all of it.

These past few months since I got accepted once again by Josiah Venture, I have watched God provide every single thing I needed, be it support, a sub-letter for my room (over the exact dates I would be gone), advice from missionaries, or even just the calming words I needed to hear from a friend. It wasn't that I heard God wrong last year or didn't have His blessing. This year wasn't just a lesson I needed to learn, although I would like to think I have learned from it. Life happens, and there is so much out of our knowledge and control, but through everything, God is constant. He is present with us and is able to use whatever we give Him, whatever happens in our lives, to make His kingdom real and alive in this dark world. I don't know what exactly God has planned for this summer, but I am confident He's placed me exactly where I need to be.

Comments

  1. UnknownMay 21, 2018 at 9:05 PM

    Ellie, preparation is the perfect title for your first blog post. Just think, eons before Nancy and I meeting you and your Mom at church one Sunday evening, you had been selected by God for just this moment in time. Your confidence that He’s placed you exactly where you need to be is well founded. When Jesus was on earth, He was a Good Shepherd (the best Good Shepherd) but when He was resurrected, he became the GREAT Shepheard - and you and the other members of the team will be His hands and feet sharing His love with those who don’t know Him - yet. It’s a blessing and a priveledge to partner with you, to pray for you, and to watch as God works His will in your life and the lives of those you will minister to. With blessings and much love, RonK

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