Thoughts of a 20-Something Woman

While I'm away, here is a general itinerary, along with specific prayer requests! I can't wait to tell you all about what God does through this trip!! December 30  I will be leaving St. Louis at 8:35am and will arrive in Cincinnati at 10:49am (9:49am CST). I will then leave Cincinnati at 2:00pm (1:00pm CST) and will arrive in New York at 4:00pm (3:00pm CST).  Our team will leave New York at 10:20pm (9:20pm CST) for our 15 hour, 35 minute flight to Dubai. -Pray for all the final preparations to be made smoothly -Pray for safe travel and health as we begin our trip -Pray for strength as we begin our 48 hours of travel -Pray for team unity and bonding while traveling. December 31 Our team is still traveling. We will arrive in Dubai, UAE, at 10:55 pm (12:55pm CST) -Pray for a safe night in Dubai as we explore the city during our 12-hour layover. -Pray for continued safe travel -Pray for physical strength to endure the long travel January 1 Our team will board the plane at 10

3 days until Africa and I am beyond stoked! I can't believe that it's finally here! Many of you have been asking, 'will you be able to stay in touch while you're in Africa?' The answer is yes and no. I have purchased an international phone plan so that I can easily communicate with my family and a few of my close friends. I also hope to make a few social media posts while I am in Africa, so that all my supporters can hear about my journey. Other than this, I really hope to be as disconnected as possible. How many times does a girl get to spend her days in Dubai, Africa, and on a safari? I don't want to miss anything that God wants to show me. The detailed blog post will, no doubt, happen after I return to the states. A few pieces of important information: 1. Please don't send me any group messages or pictures while I am away! I get free text messages, but group messages and pictures are called "multimedia messages" and they cost extra! 2.

18 days until I board a plane to Kenya. 18 days until I go on an adventure with 20 people that I've never met before. 18 days until I finally get to experience Africa---a dream and a call that I've had on my heart as far back as I can remember. I want to send out another huge thank-you to everyone who has been supporting me! Whether you bought a t-shirt or donated via the website, I would not be making this trip without your donations. In fact, your generosity has so surpassed the required amount, that I'm able to purchase needed supplies to take to Kenya and make a sizable donation to Little Lambs Orphanage (one of the places I'll be serving at while in Kenya). I am so blessed to have such generous friends and family in my life. You all are making a huge impact for the kingdom of God.  My trip is paid for, but I still need your support! I am seeking prayer warriors during this trip. I believe that prayer is powerful and I would love to have a team of people

Hello everyone! As it gets closer to my adventure to Africa, I wanted to give you an update! I received my flight itinerary today (yay!) and it is becoming more and more real. I am so grateful for your support and love throughout the process. Over the past month and a half, I have not had to worry about fundraising because I'm already fully funded! Such an answered prayer! My team and I will be flying out on December 30. We will have a 15 hour flight to Dubai. We will be landing in Dubai on December 31. We will have an overnight layover, and then we will arrive in Kenya at 10:35am on New Year's Day! I am beyond excited!! Several of you all have asked if you can donate items for my trip. This is definitely an option, but due to my abundance of support, I am already able to buy lots of extra items to take on this trip. This means that I'll be able to fill up my suitcases with things that the Kenyans need! This is incredible!! I still can't believe that I'l

I was sitting in class tonight at Lindenwood and I heard a sound out in the hallway. My mind immediately jumped to panic mode and I began to think about what would happen if a gunman came into our building or our room. Would I duck? Would I run to the corner? Lock the door? There was a day that I never had to think about these things. I never once questioned whether I would be safe in school or ask myself what I would do if a gunman came into my classroom. Columbine happened when I was 8 years old, so I remember hearing about it but not really letting it sink in. The years following Columbine, I felt like I started hearing more and more about school shootings. The first school shooting that I really understood what was going on was when I was 15...Virginia Tech. After that we had Sandy Hook, Arapahoe, Umpqua Community College. I'm sure that I've missed more than a couple. This isn't a post about guns or no guns. This is a post about me, a student, who has to think a

If you've been hurt by the church...can I just say that I'm sorry? I'm sorry that you've been bullied. I'm sorry that you've been thrown out, kicked out, shut down, or pushed out. I'm sorry that you've been abused. Despite the ways that you've been treated by His followers, do you know that Jesus still wants you? He wants to use you.  He wants to know you.  He wants to love you. He wants to hold you.  He wants to cheer for you.  He wants to love you.  He's fighting for your heart and soul, even when His people won't. He's begging you to let Him pick you back up, brush off your knees, and press forward.  He wants to heal your hurt. He wants to fix your heart.  He wants to mend your wounds. He wants to stop the bleeding. Will there ever be a day when churches stop making people bleed ?  People are hurting, wounded and they come to the church to find acceptance, love, and healing.  Yet, far too often,

You make me brave ---8,305 miles away from home. You make me brave ---flying in an airplane over the vast ocean. You make me brave ---in a culture that isn't my own. You make me brave ---to share the love of Christ around the world. You make me brave ---going into the unknown. The Lord has asked me to step out onto the waves. He has asked me to step outside of my comfort. He has asked me to face some of my fears. He has asked me to trust Him as I step out onto the waves. He has asked me to take a leap of faith in trusting Him to go overseas on a mission trip to Kenya, Africa.  Ever since I was a child, I have known that God was calling me to Africa. I've always felt the tug--the pull--toward the beautiful continent. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to go to Swaziland! But at the last minute, it was made clear that the Lord was not telling me to "go." He was telling me to "stay."  Stay and love. Stay and serve. Stay and be. St

It's the eve of Finals Week and all through the house...Hayley was writing a blog instead of studying for her 8am final.... In the Fall of 2014, I started on an adventure. An adventure to Covenant Seminary. I was excited about the opportunity to receive my Master's in Counseling, to grow in community, to learn from great theologians. But... It only took about three weeks to start to realize that I was not in the right place. I didn't feel at home. It could have been the fact that I only really connected with about three other students. Everyone seemed to come to Seminary with a certain personality...a personality that I didn't have. It could have been the fact that I hated every book that I was being forced to read. I love to read....but I'm pretty sure these books were written to torture people.  It could have been the fact that I was being forced to read the Bible. It's like when your favorite book is Charlotte's Web, but the second your teacher t