I leave tomorrow...

It's true. I can hardly believe it myself, but time has gone by SO quickly! It feels like we are still weeks away, but slowly I am coming to understand that I leave in only a day and a half.

I am so excited. I am almost finished packing - my big suitcase is done, and my carry-on bag is nearly finished. Just a few more small things to add and I'm ready to go.

Now, on my list of things I like to do, packing is somewhere around #523. And packing everything you'll  need to spend three weeks in another country into one suitcase and one backpack - well, it's not an easy task. Thankfully, after much sorting, folding, shopping, and procrastinating, everything is packed away and even ORGANIZED!



Packing, packing...




... and DONE!

 Now that I'm finished packing, I am just getting more and more excited as I wait for the big day to arrive. I have done everything I can think of that needs to be finished before I leave, and I am so excited!



Please be praying for us as we head out in the next few days! All of our Leaders and LITs are arriving today to do some prep work and training before we get there, and all of the students should be in by Monday evening. Please be praying for safe travels and that everything would go smoothly and according to plan. Also, our team will be meeting together for the first time upon arrival in Miami, so be praying for team bonding and unity. While we're in Miami, we'll be training for two days to learn the entire drama, so pray for us to be able to pick it up quickly and perform it well. Last, but definitely not least, be praying for health, safety and that God would be preparing our hearts, minds and bodies for Panama. Pray that He would open the hearts of the Panamanians to hear the Gospel and respond to it.

God is going to do amazing things on this trip. Thank you SO much for your support and prayers - they mean the world to all of us going.

Time flies, doesn't it?

Eleven days from now, I will be in Miami, beginning training for our trip to Panama. I am incredibly excited!

Many, many things have happened since I last posted about the trip. 

I finished paying for the trip (Yay!) with help from Dad. (Thanks, Dad!).

Our packing list was sent out! Mine is nearly six pages this year, because I am going on the extended trip. We have been shopping a lot this month, picking everything up and making sure that I have everything I need. We received our costume assignments as well - I was assigned to bring the costume of a China Doll. That doesn't necessarily mean that I'll be the China doll in our drama - once we're in Miami, we'll have drama tryouts and our leaders will decide who should play which part, and we'll switch costumes after that.



T-shirts for our trip came in the mail. We'll be wearing these to travel to Miami, and again when we travel to Panama. They are a light green color... almost minty. It is hard to tell from the pictures. :)

Team lists were eagerly awaited, and finally arrived the beginning of this month. I am on Team 6! I have already contacted some people on our team, and everyone is great. I am excited to be able to meet everyone when we arrive in Miami.



Back of the shirt

I started packing yesterday, and I am a little overwhelmed with the idea of having to pack for three weeks. I am fairly sure that everything I need will fit in my suitcase, and I have been working out various ways to pack things for a few weeks now, so it should all work out eventually.

That's about it for updates right now. The rest of this week and all of next will be left to finish packing and finalizing little details. I am so excited to be going to Panama, and I can't wait to see all of what God is going to do while we are there.

I will try to update once or twice more before I leave, and I will definitely try to update while I am on the trip if I can.

Thank you, everyone reading this, for your support. You are so important to me, and I couldn't be going on this trip without you!