T minus 4 days!!!

Well, I leave on Saturday, at 4am to head to the airport where I will wait for 2 hours and then board my flight to Chicago. I am so excited and so very nervous! The emotions are running high. Please keep me in your prayers that morning as I head out and start this amazing journey. I was told I could recieve mail while at Training camp which is until July 5th (actual day we leave). So, if you are interested in sending something, here are a couple different ways you can do that!

Email :

http://reignministries.org/royal-servants/friends-family/royal-servants-mail-guide/hayfield-express/

Real mail or packages :

http://reignministries.org/royal-servants/friends-family/royal-servants-mail-guide/snail-mail/

I would absolutely love to get something so please send it!! Thank you all so much for the support you have given me. It would not have been possible without you :)

God, again you make me smile to no end!

Can you believe that in 22 short days I will be stepping on to an airplane by myself and heading to Chicago for Training Camp. Then on July 4 my team and I will be heading to Nepal on a very long flight.

I have to say, that when I sent my last blog update, I didn't know that I still needed to raise money. At that time, I needed $92. Now that number has dropped to $22!!! My travel insurance is being covered, I received $55 worth of gift cards and next week we are going shopping for clothes and the rest of my supplies. I am super excited!! It has been so amazing to watch God work and send in the money.

I recently was wondering why God would let me get all excited when I thought I had all my funds but then be let down when I realized I had $92 left to raise. I think I know why. And that is to keep me trusting in Him and looking to Him. I am glad that I still had money to raise. I enjoy the time of prayer I have with Him and I enjoy trusting in Him. haha which I just realized. I am totally and completely happy when I am trusting God. I love the feeling!!

Well, I recently just found out that you are able to send me care packages while I am at Training camp! how cool is that? I would be soooo happy if I got some packages! These packages can include : chips, candy, gum, silly bands (to hand out to kids in Nepal), etc. It would make me feel all warm inside to get a package. So please, send one! I will be at training camp during June 25 to July 4. If they are sent on July 4 or after, the package will be sent back so please be sure to send it before that date! I will update you further on the address to send a package to.

Thank you all for your support and prayer and I hope I can convince my mom or dad to keep you all posted through my blog or facebook during the summer!

My new baby Something!!!

Well here it is, my new sibling! Little Abigail Constance or James Tiberius (middle name still pending). He/she is due December 8th and everything is on track :) I cannot wait to meet this little gift from Heaven <3

God you make me smile

I have been at this fundraising for my trip since October 2009. That was when I heard that life changing chapel from Kairos. That day I was introduced to the group Royal Servants and the idea of a life time. What if I went on a mission trip? From that day on all my mind could focus on was going on a Mission trip. So I picked the country (of course, i was drawn to the most expensive trip on the list). I wanted to go to Nepal. Then I began the support raising process. That first year I raised $920! Although I wasn't able to go that first summer, I knew I would do what I had to do to go the next summer. Now here I am, $3,580 more than I had (FINISHED!), 41 days away and supplies are nearly finished with getting!

I went to church a week ago and told them I needed $795 left. I think it was Tuesday that my school sent in $250 and on Friday I was given a total of $320 which brought my total down to $200 left to raise. So I went to church today and told them all that my total went from $795 to $107!! That morning, before I made my announcement, a friend gave me a check for $73 and the children's church gave me $20. Then, before I left church, i was given $107!! The rest that I needed! You could say that I was on cloud 9 for the rest of the day :)

So later I had a request from a friend that I should post my packing list on Facebook. So I did. 30 minutes later I got an email (by the way, during that 30 mins I was praising God and also asking Him to let people help by giving things on my list) the email was from a family from church. They were going to provide basically everything on my list (minus clothes!) How amazing and quickly does our God work!! And now I have been told that someone wants to take me clothes shopping! You can say that cloud 9 is in the stars right now :) I don't know how much clothes they can help me get but however much they do give, will be a blessing and I am truly thankful!!!

God has done a might work through all those who are helping me get to Nepal and I am super excited! I can't wait till June 25 when I get on that plane to go to Chicago for Training Camp then on July 7 when we actually start the flight to Nepal :)

PRAISE GOD!

My minute with the Master of Suspense!

Well tonight was an unforgettable night for me! I got to meet none other than the Master of Suspense, Ted Dekker! I got my picture taken with him and my copy of 'The Priest's Graveyard" signed by him. Sorry, this was the best pic that was taken. The man taking pictures didn't get one of either or us looking up. haha anyway. It was great. When he first got there I just happened to look beside me to see who was walking by and it was him!!! I like lost my breath haha. He even took a video of all the fans. Oh and did I mention that I was FIRST in line??? He talked about his book and the justice in it. "Everyone is twisted. I mean, come on! Who wants to be straight?" ~Ted Dekker. That line was the most awkwardly funny line ever! We all laughed it off and then he began his book signing. Oh and when he first got there, I teared up. Yes, I the girl who doesn't cry while watching the sad movie 'Soul Surfer' almost cried because Ted Dekker was standing less than five feet away! So I got to talk to him and I believe I told him I love his books. At least, I hope I told him. I had all this stuff planned out to say and didn't say any of it. Oh well. I am just glad I got to meet him.

Well this was was an answered prayer, how silly it may sound. I prayed for this. A few weeks ago Ted Dekker had this 'Share the Love event' and you could reserve and buy a bundle of buying copies of the Priest's Graveyard and you would get all this stuff for free depending on how many you bought. Well I almost did it. I almost bought 8 copies of the book so I could get a backstage pass to meet Ted Dekker! My heart literally flipped out and I was very close to actually doing it. Well then I began to think about my trip and if I bought all 8 books it would cost a lot of money that I didn't know if I would be getting back for my birthday or not. So in the end I chose to save my money. But in doing that I asked God that I would be able to meet Ted Dekker another time since this was a sacrifice for me. I mean Ted Dekker is my hero and I was ready to spend as much as I needed to meet him. So that was my prayer to God and I left it at that.

Well then last week I saw that he was coming to Atlanta for a public book signing!! I talked to my parents and we had it settled. I was going to meet him. And that was what I did! We got there are 5pm and the signing technically was going to start at 7pm but there was a change of plans and it started at 6pm. We got there at the perfect time and was first in line!

Tonight was amazing and I am so glad I got to meet him. He is my hero and inspiration when I write my stories. I only hope that one day I may have the honor of being as well known as him.

Ted Dekker

Here are some stuff from Ted Dekker about his new book "The Priest's Graveyard" which I am sure to be an AWESOME book!!

Here is a review for the book :

http://www.booklistonline.com/ProductInfo.aspx?pid=4648877&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

Here is an interview with Ted Dekker himself!!

http://fictionaddict.com/2011/04/11/ted-dekker-interview-4-11-2011/

Open my eyes

I sent this to my team that is going to Nepal and I hope it helps not only them but maybe some of you as well :)

There are a few times in the Bible where men’s eyes were opened to the glory of the Lord. Such was the case in Genesis 21:19, Numbers 22:31, 2 Kings 6:17 and Luke 24:30-31. In the wonderful devotional book “This day with the master” by Dennis F. Kinlaw, he writes a three day devotional called “Opened eyes” (March 3-6). On the first day of the devotional he talks about a missionary friend who had a burden from God to feed thousands of widows and orphans but all he had was the dream to do it. God “opened his eyes” and showed him how to fulfill his calling and this man was able to feed eighteen thousands of widows and orphans each day. At the end of the devotional, Kinlaw says this, “Has God given you a burden? Somewhere there are resources for you to meet that responsibility. You must have his quickening touch on the eyes of your imagination so you can see the resources that are available to you.” Now I read this at a time not too long ago that I was having some real doubts. I knew God called me to go to Nepal but I didn’t know how I could get the money for it. I had people that were not really meaning to but ended up sowing seeds of doubt in my heart and it didn’t feel good to me. After I read this I prayed (every time I remembered) that God would open my eyes to the resources He has planned for my trip. And I promise you, every time I prayed that and truly felt 100% into that prayer, God showed up and had if not one, but multiple people tell me they were going to send money for me. And today, it happened again! I prayed that prayer and I had someone tell me that they (and friends) would be able to give me a minimum of $500 and up to $700!! What makes that even better was that a few months ago they told me they might be able to get me $400 and that number grew to $500-$700!! Can I get an amen?? Haha!! Also today my school told me they would be able to give $200! Once this money gets in, along with three other checks I am expecting to get in soon, I will have over $3,000 for my trip! God is doing so much that I could never have expected back in January 2009!! So I just wanted to share this encouragement with all of you who are still struggling. I know what it is like because last year, that was me. I encourage all of you to pray the prayer and ask God to open your eyes to the resources He has planned for all of our trip! Good luck and God’s speed to you all!

Oh and if you don’t have a daily devotional book, I really think this is an amazing devotional book that is worth taking a look at!