one week

one week till I will be getting ready for an awesome adventure. It will be a time of growing more in my love with my Savior and the people of the continent I love. I cannot wait to see how the Lord will change my life and also the lives of the people that will come into contact with His love for the first time! Until then, I have a lot of packing, cleaning, and loose ends to tie up.

I found this poem and I thought it was perfect as a reminder before I go on my trip.

My goal is God Himself, not joy, nor peace. 

Nor even blessing, but Himself, my God;

'Tis His to lead me there, not mine, but His

At any cost, dear Lord, by any road. 

So faith bounds forward to its goal in God, 

and love can trust her Lord to lead her there;

Upheld by HIm, my soul is to following hard, 

Till God hath full fulfilled my deepest prayer.

No matter if the way be sometimes dark, 

No matter though the cost be oft-times great,

 He knoweht best how I shall reach the mark,

The way that leads to Him must needs be straight. 

One thing I know, I cannot say Him nay, 

One thing I do, I press towards my Lord. 

My God, my glory, here from day to day, 

And in the glory there my Great Reward. 

-Author Unknown 

I pray that this will be true in my life. That my Savior would be my greatest reward and the thing I strive for more than anything! 

Please keep praying for the preparation for my trip and the people of Ghana that we will reach!

Until All Have Heard, 

Mary 

thirteen days

It's hard to believe how fast the time has gone! In two weeks from today, I will be in Orlando meeting my teammates and preparing to leave for a summer of learning and loving in Ghana! The Lord has already begun to prepare my heart for this trip. I am a little nervous about the unknown, but mainly I am excited! Excited to see how the Lord works in my heart and life, but also excited to share the love of my Savior with people who have never heard!!

Until then...

• I'm attempting to pack 6 weeks of clothes and stuff into one bag and only 50lbs. :/

• I'm trying to enjoy my few weeks of time off in America.

• I'm soaking in the extra time to read my Bible and reflect on the love of my Savior.

I wanted to be sure to thank everyone again for ALL of the prayers and support I have received! It is such a blessing to serve the Lord in this way. God is so good and I cannot wait to grow closer to Him this summer. Please continue to be in prayer for my team and myself this summer. It is going to be quite an adventure!

Until All Have Heard,
Mary

But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

Acts 20:24 

thankful

I literally am in awe of my Savior. 

I questioned. 

I had times of doubt. 

I wasn't sure if this is what I am supposed to do. 

I wondered if I had made the right choice. 

And then my Savior showed up

He clearly orchestrated every detail.

Any time there was the smallest roadbump

He had it under control immediately. 

What an honor it is to do the will of my Father

What a joy it is to sit in His presence and walk down the prepared path

It hasn't always been easy

And its not going to be. 

But I know that it will be perfect. 

I wanted to take some time to thank everyone who so generously gave above and beyond the amount needed for my trip! If there were any doubts about this trip, the Lord quickly put them to rest. I cannot believe that in a matter of a few weeks the body of Christ pulled together and im FULLY FUNDED for my trip! What a joy it is to be prayed for and supported in this way. God has incredible plans for this trip and my heart.

Humbled and So Thankful,
Mary 

In case you were wondering, any extra money for the trip will go towards the flight to Florida for orientation/debrief (before and after the trip) as well as all the numerous and expensive vaccinations that were required as well.