HEY EVERYONE! 

After two weeks of sharing and conversations, it is crazy to announce that I AM 75% FUNDED FOR MY TRIP!!! ONLY AFTER 16 DAYS. WHAT A MIRACLE. I simply have no words. There is no way to describe how utterly grateful and appreciative I am for each and every one of you! Being raised in the church, I have heard the saying that God is bigger than every obstacle you encounter over and over again. But it’s impossible to comprehend that impactful truth until you experience it firsthand! I can’t thank each and every one of you enough. 

There is an incredible analogy about faith that only until recently I have been able to fully appreciate. Faith is a lot like a sailboat. You can’t hoist up your sails and ask God to blow the wind while you wait by the comfort of your dock. When taking a leap of faith, you have to paddle out in the middle of the ocean, and it’s there, in the middle of the vast ocean, that God will fill your sails with his breath and direct you! It’s scary, and for some people, if not most, it's incredibly irrational. What if you get to the middle of the ocean, and God doesn’t blow the wind? What if you capsize, run out of food, get looted by pirates, or a giant prehistoric shark swallows you up in one gulp?? Well friends, is that not the definition of faith? Despite our fear and anxiety, we choose to surrender our power and blindly follow our Divine Creator, an entity we cannot see or touch, and take a leap of faith.

For me, making the decision to go on this trip was, and is still, a leap of faith. I was so overwhelmed with a thousand racing thoughts. Should I really be doing this? What if this really isn’t what God is calling me to? How in the world am I supposed to raise this much money? I would be lying if I told you I was 100% confident that this is what God had in store for me. And yet, it has been made abundantly clear that this is his divine call in my life. How breathtaking it is to see his Hand move through my life and yours. 

All I can say is that I am overwhelmed with gratitude, and I can’t thank God and his generosity through you enough. 

Until next time, 

Olivia :)