Thursday, May 17, 2012

The Next Season

Today was my last day as a student at UWP. Technically graduation isn't until Saturday, but I'm not walking so I'm considering this the end :) I'm in my room right now (which is pretty bare since I'm completely moving out tomorrow), listening to Mumford and Sons with candles lit...it's a pretty great atmosphere if I do say so myself. I think everything just hit me a little bit tonight. I am done with my undergraduate degree, I'm leaving for Uganda in 18 days, and I don't know what I'll be doing when I get back. There are so many transitions/changes happening at once; it's exciting, stressful, and scary all at the same time.
Another thing that's been on my mind is home crappy I am at "good byes"...and I'll be saying a lot of them soon. I want to tell all my profs how amazing they are and how much I've learned from them. I want to tell all of my friends here at Point how much I'll miss them and how much they've all taught me in some way or another. I want to tell my high school friends how much I love them, and LOVE that we've stayed in contact these past 4 years. I want to tell my family how much they mean to me and how thankful I am for them.
I don't like good-byes, mainly because I don't like crying in front of people, and with good-byes it's pretty much  guaranteed there will be tears at some point...especially with some of my family and friends...you know who you are :) I've been so incredibly blessed in so many areas of my life, honestly in all areas of my life. It's going to be hard leaving all these blessings and going to a place where people have been given such a different life than me; I'm sure it'll make me aware of blessings I can't even think of now. It's going to be hard saying good-bye to some people and not knowing when the next time I see them will be; it'll be even harder knowing I won't see some of them ever again.
18 days and I'll be in Uganda...and only $200 more left to suport raise. Wow, three months ago I started raising support, and I had no idea what to expect, but I definitely wasn't expecting what I got. I'm actually going to Uganda...to help little African babies. A dream I've had for over a decade is going to come true in 18 days. I (and my life) am most likely going to change in 18 days...which is exciting and scary in and of itself. The next season of my life is already starting...I love adventures, and I'm so excited for this one :)

Friday, May 4, 2012

One Month

As of today, May 4th, I have exactly one month until I will be in the air flying toward Uganda. Wow, that's crazy. I don't think that information has hit me yet. Other information that hasn't hit me yet is that in exactly two weeks I will be officially finished with finals, and therefore, student life at UWSP. Last night I went to the last CRU meeting I'll ever attend as a UWSP student. To my suprise I actually got a little emotional, but I haven't cried yet...I think I might be saving it for when I'm alone at home packing up my room so I can just get all the crying done in one sitting :)
It's a strange feeling, transitioning from one season of my life to another. One part of me feels so excited about the unknown and the possibilities that lay ahead of me, but another part of me is scared to leave behind the amazing people and places I've come to know these past four years. What if the next season isn't as good as this one was? What if I don't come out of that season in a way I would like? What if my plans don't work out? Oh "What if Questions"...how I love/hate them.
As for support raising, I have received $4,830 so far...meaning I only have $670 left to go!!! :) :) Last night a friend of mine from CRU said that he was going to pray that God would raise the rest of my support by this time next week. The cool thing is that could TOTALLY happen!!! It's so encouraging to look back on this process. I started in December by applying to the Watoto program, got accepted in January, sent out my letter in February, and support has been rollling in ever since. Six months of chasing a dream...chasing it, running away from it, being terrified of it, so excited for it, and waiting for it to come true. Now it's only 4 short weeks away.
I'm not sure what I feel at this moment as so many transitions are happening. I guess it's a mix of a ton of emotions: excited, anxious, happy, sad, accomplished, scared, at peace, worried, etc. etc. I think the overwhelming emotion, however, is excitement...and satisfaction. I don't think the reality that I'm going to Uganda this summer will really hit me until my parents and I are at the airport and I'm boarding a plane. Maybe it won't happen until I land in Uganda and am being driven to the Watoto compound I'll be staying at. Or maybe not until I meet the people I'll be volunteering with for the summer. Maybe not until I start working with those adorable babies. Whenever it hits me, I hope I can just enjoy and savor the experience from beginning to end.

"When we are motivated by goals that have deep meaning, by dreams that need completion, by pure love that needs expressing, then we truly live life."  -Greg Anderson

"Have the courage to follow your dreams. It's the first step towards attaining your destiny." -Nikita Koloff

"There are people who put their dreams in a little box and say, 'Yes, I've got dreams, of course I've got dreams.' Then they put the box away and bring it out once in a while to look in it, and yep, they're still there. These are great dreams, but they never even get out of the box. It takes an uncommon amount of guts to put your dreams on the line, to hold them up and say, 'How good or how bad am I?' That's where courage comes in."  - Erma Louise Bombeck

I love quotes!! :)