 |
| A Colorful Best Friend Wedding |
 |
| My Big Brother and I |
 |
| A Hello-Goodbye party |
 |
| Visiting the Capitol |
 |
| My married Best Friends |
 |
| Another Best Friend Wedding |
 |
| My 2nd visitation of the D.O.I. and the Constitution |
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| My beautiful Mother and Sister |
Well, we're down to just 3 days until we fly out for Bulgaria. I can hardly believe it. There are many last minute things to consider before we leave, such as: what things we could do without, what things we will regret not taking, making arrangements for our arrival in Sofia, modifying our current cell phone plans, and notifying our banks that our funds need to be accessible while we are in Bulgaria. Overall, things are getting done, and friends, family, and mentors are coming through for us in the most incredible ways!
Before leaving for Bulgaria, it was SO important for me to be able to see my friends and family before leaving since I will not be returning to the states for 360 days. I thought it unlikely that seeing everyone would be possible, but I still wanted to try anyway.
Well, as you can see from the pictures above, God took that challenge and reassured me that nothing is impossible. Not all of the pictures are from this summer, but they do show you all of the people with whom I enjoyed happy memories this summer.
I think it is a real possibility that I would have changed my mind about leaving had I been forced to say goodbye to everyone I love all at once. I thank God for easing me through the goodbyes, allowing time for strengthening with each passing one.
I feel like I say this a lot in my prayers, but I have never known love in comparison with the love that I have been shown these past weeks. I think of the tears I shed upon saying goodbye to my big brother, his sweetheart, and then my mom, and my little sister. It hurt in a beautiful way. They have supported me my whole life, and what a frail, hopeless creature I would be were it not for their love which has always strengthened me. Then there are those friends who may as well be my own flesh and blood: My Allison and Cody who are now married, and Meret and Casey who were married only a few weeks ago! Jessica M., my "partner in crime" and teaching twin. My beautiful darling Anne who is so wise and compassionate. My childhood friend Nathan who has always believed in me- and his whole family who have practically raised me. And Jd who calms me down when I stress for no reason. I think of my mentors who have poured their lives into my own- Jessica D., who has always prayed over me and shed tears with me no matter how many other workloads she's taken on, Dr. Nate who has never failed to show me the depth of his care- even at random times when anyone else would be unavailable, and Jason who prayed blessings over me in Divine Love and encouragement. Then there's Kathy who thought of me when she learned of the needs in Bulgaria- the woman who works so hard for us even during her time off. I wish I could list everyone who has made all this possible. But just know that if you're reading this, you have already made this possible.
Just the other day while someone was praying over me, I found myself overwhelmed with the following truth:
I am so blessed
And I don't say that lightly or casually. I am so aware of all that God has given me, all that God has provided for me, and all that He has in store for me. I don't know what exactly to expect, but I can tell you that God will break me, and I will get homesick, and I will get overwhelmed, but also that God will make me new, and He will provide for me in ways I couldn't possibly anticipate, and He will continue to be present in my life whether I am aware of Him or not.
And with that, I say take care and farewell my beloved friends. I'll write more from Bulgaria!
With Love,
Alex
