Picking Up the Pieces

Yesterday my host brother Erick and i cleaned up my entire room.  The pictures of Nepal and mexico that covered my walls are now packed away in boxes along with my Nepali blanket which covers an entire wall, all my sports and high school stuff, and basically everything that  has defined my life for the last several years.  At first the whole thing was really depressing.  I am a person who at times needs her own space, and my room has been my only way to get that.  I had surrounded myself with everything that defined who i was as a person and it made me feel safe.

Seeing all that stuff in boxes made me realize that the person is still here, but now it's just me; no awards, no reminders, nothing except me, myself and i.  And i realized that was what i needed in order to put myself entirely into this experience.  As the pictures were being placed in the box i looked into the faces of the kids from NOE who i have covered my wall with since my trip there last summer.  I looked into their eyes and thought, "i need to be there, ALL there, for them. They deserve nothing less than everything i can give."

I looked at the pile in my room i call the Mexico pile, because it is a drop spot for any and everything i am taking to Mexico and thought, "this is me." I saw clothes, a few books, and everything else i am packing and thought, "this is going to define me for the next 6 months" and then changed that thought and said to myself, "no! this is what has defined me my whole life, now i am defined by what God does through me at NOE."

It is now officially 13 days until i leave and the fact that i am ACTUALLY LEAVING is really starting to set in.  I hate goodbyes with a deep passion, and so these next 13 days are going to be really hard because they are going to be FULL of them.  I am saying goodbye to people that mean everything to me, people who are always there for me, people who i see every day, and it's not easy.  But i need to realize that they were pieces of a bigger puzzle (i love puzzles) and in order to finish the puzzle God has for me int these next 6 months, i need to pick up the pieces, place them in their spot in my heart, and fly to Mexico to pick up the rest and finish the puzzle of my heart that God has made.  Goodbyes are hard, and i will cry, but it is a part of the journey, therefore i am embracing them.

Everything is Coming Together

Hey everyone!!! This is my first blog of many as i begin my journey to Morelia, Mexico to teach English at the NOE Center there. I anxiously await the moment i will be reunited with all my friends and family in Morelia!!!!! Only 2 weeks left!!!

I am close to having all the money, but that is still a major prayer request.
Another is travel, as the days slip away my head cannot get over the fact that i am going to be on an airplane again very soon. So peace in that area is a prayer request as well.

Some of you may be wondering about the title of my blog, so i will explain now.  Almost a year ago, my "twin brother" in Morelia gave me a verse called a rhema verse, or in English a verse to remember. I committed it to memory and it has helped me through thick and thin this year in my preparation for this trip.  The verse is Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." My hearts's desire was to go to Mexico, so i focused on delighting myself in the Lord and now i am on my way!!  Now that Mexico is a quickly approaching reality, i thought it only fitting to use part of my rhema verse in my blog. So los deseos de mi corazon means "the desires of my heart," the people of Morelia are that to me, and thank God those desires are about to be fulfilled very soon!!!