Wow I feel a lot better about some things.

This week is Annual Conference for the North Georgia Conference for the United Methodist Church. Being a member of a UM church, and being an alumni of a UM college, and going on a mission trip to England along with three other Reinhardt alums, I was asked to go to Annual Conference to a dinner in honor of Reinhardt College and briefly share about what I'll be doing, how I got to where I am now, etc. Dinner was nice, and the conversations were helpful and uplifting, and I enjoyed the evening.

After dinner, Leigh, Ashely, Christina (gotta give my shout-outs) and I went to Ben and Jerry's ("and on the eighth day, God made Ben and Jerry's") and then walked around Athens. I'd never been to Athens, and I must say...nice place! I like it lots. We walked around UGA's campus, Leigh gave us a brief tour, and then we saw Sanford Stadium. It's smaller than I thought...but it's still really big...but every time I've seen it, it's been on the TV. The camera adds 10 pounds...or in this case, "10 acres and 10 thousand people" (one of the four of us said that, but I don't remember who).

After doing some sitting and some walking and some talking about all sorts of things, I feel a lot better about fundraising. I've been nervous about fundraising for a little while now for a number of reasons. I've been nervous that maybe God won't pull through this time, even though I've spent so much money thus far with applications, a passport, a Visa for the UK.... I've felt the tug to go somewhere for three years now! Positive things kept coming up...over and over again...and I thought, "this really is a God thing!" Not that it still isn't a God thing, but I've had some reality present itself to me, and it's been rough.

Two things that I've been reminded of over and over again is 1) the fundraising process is half of the mission trip experience, and 2) that if all of the money were donated all at once, then I wouldn't appreciate it as much.

Yup. That's the truth.

I feel much better about this process. I am still a bit worried, but I'm not hopeless like I was earlier. God has a plan, and He knows what He's doing. As long as I remain faithful, NOT hopeless, and I continue to look for His will, and as long as I continue to find new ways of fundraising, everything will be fine.

Shoot. I have to get ready for work.

Buuuuuuuuggggggghhhhhh.....