Almost there…. and some SUPER exciting news!!

Good afternoon friends and family!

Well this is it. We’re getting down to the final stretch of time before our squad meets down in Georgia. From today, we are 45 days away from my flight down. that means 44 days left and I will be conducting my hundredth “last check” as I scramble to make sure I have everything I need. 

To those of you who are still unsure of the order of my trip or the dates, I’ll break it down real quick:

August 25th, I will be flying to Atlanta, Georgia from Vancouver, Washington to meet with my squad. (My squad is the group of about 20 people that are relatively my age that will be traveling with me for the next 9 months).

August 27th, this is the “parent info” day. My mother and I will be there and it’s a last chance to say goodbye and she will get to meet the team of leaders that I will be with, and will get to go over more specific details with her. 

August 28th, official drop off day. The is the first day of training for “racers”

For the next 4-6 weeks we will be in Atlanta doing discipleship training and cross cultural training as we prepare to head overseas. 

From there we will then head out to our 4 countries until the beginning if May!

Lastly, during the month of May, we will be returning to Georgia for debriefing over a couple weeks as we re-enter the US. 

I am getting so excited! Now for some actual updates that I’ve totally dropped the ball on sharing the last couple of months. I have a few really exciting ones so make sure to read to the end!

Firstly, I booked my ticket down to Atlanta this last week! I know I know, it seems small and almost obvious, but for me it really brought a moment of realization and a holy Moses… this is really happening. Like really really. Like in less than 2 months. It was crazy. So, my flight down is the 25th at 5:00 AM!!

Next, I have almost all of my gear!! This trip is considered “backpacking”, therefore I got all of my gear appropriate to suit this style trip. Meaning I got a tent, a sleeping bag, to even blister patches for my feet- and everything in between. 

And lastly, certainly not least……….drum roll please………………..

I AM OFFICIALLY FULLY FUNDED!!!!! The website takes a few days to upload, but I received the final amount on Saturday and now I have reached my goal. I just wanted to say thank you so so much to everyone who has supported this mission through prayer and through financial support. Seriously, I absolutely could not have done it without every single one of you. I have especially enjoyed being able to sit down with many people in my community to not only share this opportunity, but also share stories of my own life and listens to theirs. It has been incredible to rejoice in the Lord’s good work and just spend time together as a whole. 

As many know, this year in particular has been incredibly challenging for me and my family, as well as it was full of endings and beginnings to different stories. I would just like to take a minute to say I would not have been able to make it through these hardships if it weren’t for the Lord’s good hands, or without the strength I received in prayer from those around me. This year I have been surrounded in prayer and truth by my friends and family and I wholeheartedly believe this is what faith, community, and the Church are all about. I stand confident that my firm foundation lies in the Kingdom of the Lord, and I know that my heart is His. 

Thank you everyone for supporting me, I look forward to see what God has in store for me this next year. Please remember to check in here to the blog, I plan on posting pictures, videos, and stories about what life is going to be looking like. 

Hope everyone is doing good 🙂

-Love, Lilli <3

ps, if you’re wanting to reach out, my contact information is under the side option “contact me!”