Disclaimer: This post was written in Johannesburg after our simple travel plans that should have taken us from Nashville to Atlanta to Amsterdam to Addis Ababa got rerouted after delay after delay and we found ourselves making impromptu stops in Accra, Ghana, and Johannesburg, South Africa. Down side…missing a day in Ethiopia with Kristen, Alysa, Emily, and Paige and the sheer exhaustion and just plain dirtiness from 36+hours of travel. Up side…a lot of great bonding time with the Nashville crew {Daniel, Crystal, Alece, Alli, and David} and experiencing more of Africa than we could have ever imagined. So all that to say what follows might be a little cheesy, riddled with typos and doesn’t make much sense.

If there is one thing that God is teaching me this year, it is that too often I delude myself into thinking I am in control, that I know what is coming next, and that life needs to meet {or exceed} my expectations. These lies destroy my ability to trust in His plan and to live with a joyful expectancy.

One of the things I am most excited about as I travel to Addis Ababa and The Rift Valley of Ethiopia with the FH Bloggers is that my limited knowledge about the country I am visiting, the field work of Food for the Hungry, and my travel companions, has prohibited me from framing expectations. And without expectation, I  finally find myself sitting calmly, hopefully and faithfully in the hand the of God.

Tomorrow morning {Lord-willing}, I will wake up in Ethiopia and be amazed by a God who created the Heavens and the Earth, a God who moves mountains, and a God who hasn’t forgotten the children of Africa and certainly hasn’t forgotten me.

Stay tuned, friends. Adventure awaits.  

One week from today {if everything goes according to our very ambitious cross-country road trip plan}, Trish Davis, the pup and I will be pulling into Nashville.

I still can not believe that this move is on the horizon and getting a little bit closer each day.

The last couple of weeks have been a beautiful whirlwind. Finishing up work at Project 7, crossing items off of my California bucket list {Dodger’s Game – check, Disneyland - check, Beach Bonfire – check, Late Night Swim in the Pacific – check, Hotel Cafe - check, Wurstckuche – check, Huntington Gardens – check, Pasadena – check, Philippe’s - check and I still have 5 days left, we’ll see what else I can cram in}, house hunting in Nashville, checking out my new work digs, and enjoying some ‘down’ time with my parents who are going to miss having a daughter who lives on the Pacific.

I don’t anticipate things will slow down from here. House inspections. Oil changes and tire rotations. Packing {just enough gear to get me through a Nashville summer and trips to the beach and Africa}. And of course, goodbyes or what I prefer to call ‘see you laters.’

And Friday morning as the sun rises, we will head east. Fast and furiously towards home.

I am thankful for the friends who keep checking in and inquiring after my state of being, and the state of my heart. Truth be known, my emotions are all over the map. There is sadness, fear, and grief intermixed with joy, excitement, and contentment. I hope the journey itself will help me sort through what I am leaving behind, what I am traveling to, and what I can take with me.

What journeys do you have planned this summer?

As I write this I am 30,000 feet in the air, headed to Haiti with a handful of Project 7 teammates. We are going to plant fruit trees as our Save the Earth campaign culminates. And truth be known, I am a little nervous. Okay, I’m a lot nervous.

Nervous because while I have experienced poverty, I haven’t experienced the darkness one hears about when discussing Haiti. Nervous because I have heard first hand Dan Woolley’s stories of surviving in an elevator shaft for days after the 2010 earthquake. Nervous because diseases like Cholera and Malaria are still real threats to Haitians and travelers alike. And nervous because Haiti feels dangerous, and as lame as it is to admit, I like feeling, being, living safe.

Last night as I climbed into bed and allowed my thoughts to spin, I started whispering to myself…

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I wasn’t quite sure where the familiar words came from {a quick google search told me that it was from St. Patrick’s Breastplate and is said invoke protection on a journey} but they are the words that I will take with me to Haiti and will holdfast to on all the journeys laid before me.

I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, his shield to ward,
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me these holy powers.

Against all Satan’s spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart’s idolatry,
Against the wizard’s evil craft,
Against the death-wound and the burning
The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

Friends, will you pray for our journey? And in the comments let us know how I can be praying for you?

for what I am about to tell you.

Tomorrow morning I leave for a five day Carribean cruise with a bunch of friends. Yes, picture me here.

I know. I know. It’s not fair to throw that in your face. Please don’t hate me. I couldn’t resist.

But I SO need this trip. I don’t know if you can tell by the desperate sound of some of my recent blog posts. (Yeah, they’ve been rather brutal lately. Sorry for worrying you, friends. About once a week someone calls and says “I just read your blog. Are you okay?”)

And yes, I am okay, but I am also spent. I am in desperate need of a break, a time away to process, afternoons where the only decision I need to make is what SPF to apply, and an opportunity to disconnect.

Yep, I said it. Disconnect. I am going to disconnect.

I am a little SUPER nervous about the whole thing.

Can I really go five days without phone calls, tweets, facebook updates, blog posts, and emails?

I guess I am about to find out.

When was the last time you disconnected? Was it good for you OR totally disastrous?

Oh, and any advice for a novice cruiser? Yeah, I am not even sure if that is what you call someone who cruises. Guess I will find out that as well.

I love to travel.

I come by it naturally, my parents passed along a serious case of wanderlust to me and my sister.

I love adventure. I love meeting people. I love seeing the world. I love experiencing different places and cultures. And I love trying exotic cuisines, unfamiliar restaurants.

I love the fresh perspective a trip brings. I love that when my travels are over I get to return to the best place of all, home. And I love that traveling is about soaking up life instead of simply getting it done.

Traveling brings out the best in me.

If only I LIVED more like I TRAVELED.

If only I put careful consideration into each of my companions.

If only I invested my time and my resources more selectively.

If only I relaxed, took deep breaths, savored each bite.

If only I concentrated on taking care of myself, getting adequate rest and exercise.

If only I focused on being present in the present, instead of worrying about the past and the future.

If only I sought out beauty, if I paused to smell the roses and watch the sun set.

If only I stepped out of my comfort zone and conquered my fears.

If only I ceased every opportunity to make a memory.

If only I spent less time making plans and more time trusting in the Lord to direct my path.

If only I remembered that this is not my home, that a beautiful Heaven beckons.

If only I realized that this life is not about the destination, but about the journey.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5)

This summer has been A COMPLETE WHIRLWIND. I have been traveling non-stop and loving every minute of it. But I am worn out. And my life and my house are in disarray.  (Seriously can’t remember the last time I changed my sheets. I think it was sometime last week but I’m not quite sure.)

With all this traveling, another thing that has been neglected is my blog. So this is a quick play-by-play with some of my favorite photos, of course. (more…)

Last night, I returned home after being gone almost a week. And as much as I loved my week with the family at the beach, it was nice to be home. (Or at least back in Nashville, as I expressed here there is some confusion for me about where home is.)

There are times when I have dreaded returning after a vacation. But not this time, and here’s why: (more…)