So I’ve never been much of a writer and I am sorry if this boring to read (not really sure how this whole blogging thing works) but I promise to post cool God stories and pictures once I am down there!

            This time last year I was gearing up for my last semester of college, twelve months later I am preparing to move to Peru to teach (with the time between finding out about the opportunity and actually leaving being just 30 days). When I tell this to my unsaved coworkers, they think that I am out of mind. To them I seem crazy, I graduated college at 21, was the youngest applicant to be offered the position as a Criminal Justice Specialist for the County Sheriff’s Department (which through a series of events I ended up having to turn down), moved back home and have been working as a Field Representative for six months. Now I am packing up and moving to Peru to teach 22 three year olds in a country I’ve never been to, where they speak a language that I took two semesters of five years ago, and I don’t know anyone there. Also, because my background is in Psychology and Criminal Justice I have absolutely no experience teaching and am much more comfortable working with inmates than I am working with large quantities of little people.

Yes, in the world’s eyes I am crazy having turned down what would be considered a good job and now traveling to a new place where I don’t speak the language and don’t know anyone [2 Corinthians 5:13a, “If we are ‘out of our mind,’ as some say, it is for God”], but I am confident in the peace God has given me concerning this decision and know that this is exactly where God wants me to be right now. I would rather be in the most dangerous place in the world if that was God will for me than to be outside of God’s will in what the world would consider the “safest place.”

            I know that I have shared this with some of you before but this is something that a friend of mine from college shared with me a while ago but it has stuck with me ever since. He told me that God has painted a 25 foot mural of my life. Right now I can only see what is painted right in front of my face, and it may not make any sense at the time, but as time goes on, I step back. And step by step I am able to see more and more of the picture until ultimately at the end, I can see how every piece, every trial, every struggle, and every victory blended together like the pieces of a puzzle to create the picture of my life. One that the God of the universe cared enough about to orchestrate down to the very last detail. God has been teaching me a lot since graduation about seeking His wisdom and figuring out what I like to call “active patience” (waiting on Him and His timing without becoming stagnant, still keeping active while waiting) and I know that He has many more areas of my life that He will be working on while I am down in Peru.

            I am excited to see what He has in store and would very much appreciate your prayers as I embark on this new adventure. I think one of my theme verses for this experience is going to be Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengths me” because there is no way that I am qualified or able to do this on my own, it will only be through Christ and your prayers!

T-minus 4 days and counting…..