One day to go!

In 24 hours time I will be sitting on a plane at Auckland Airport trying not to soil myself as I wait to take off on the biggest advenure of my life! It will be a further 24 hours after then that I will arrive in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital. Strangely enough, as I sit writing this post, I am remarkably relaxed and peaceful. The calm before the storm. I anticipate I will be in a very different state of mind as I wake tomorrow.

I have heard a very obvious silence from above over the last few weeks. Maybe I have been so busy trying to get everthing prepared and making sure I haven't forgotten anything that I haven't been listening enough. Or maybe this is just one of those times, as is often the case, that Jesus just keeps His silence. I trust Him totally and completely, but it doesn't make the silences any easier. Nevertheless, I have been at peace in a way that can only come from the Spirit who knows better than I do and has me firmly in the palm of His very capable hand.

My expectations are high going into this adventure. I thing they are realistic though. I am not an idealist, I have a tendency to be a pesimist at times, but for the most part, I think I am just a realist. I expect to be hugely challenged, immensely frustrated, radically changed, and hopefully brought to life in a new way. I am not expecting my struggles or short-fallings to disappear, but hope to be able to approach them from a new perspective. I believe Jesus rewards an expectant heart, and I don't have much more to offer than that and a willingness to serve.

I am hugely excited about this adventure, but I also grieve at the thought of not seeing the people I love for four months. I will miss so many people that have become such a huge part of my life and who I am. Things will not be the same without them. I will be blessed if I can find family over there that can mean even half as much as my brothers and sisters at home. Four months isn't long, but due to the nature of what I'm doing, I know I will need people around me that I can effectively process things with and bounce my thoughts off.

To all who are thinking and praying for me during this time, I thank you again. This would not be happening without you.

Peace and love

Rowan