Preparation for a three month mission trip is quite an intense time period. In the span of about a month, I am attempting to successfully pack a hiking pack with three-months worth of supplies, move out of my apartment, and raise the $6,995 required to travel. To say I am busy is an understatement. This month I am truly putting my trust in God that everything will fall into place as it needs to in His time. 

     Fortunately, I have found a place to live when I get back and I will be able to store my things there free of charge until November when we return (yay for not paying a ton of rent money). That was such a huge blessing and I am so thankful that God revealed that opportunity when He did! However, I do still have to pack all my things and get them moved. Packing is definitely not one of my favorite things to do, so I am not particularly excited about getting it done. But I will be so excited once that is off my plate! 

     As far as packing for the mission trip, I think I am close. I have a few more things to lock in place, but I feel confident that I have pretty much everything. (Although I'm sure that will change about three days into the trip when I realize I forgot something. That seems to come with the territory of travel though...). 

     Finally, there is the fundraising. This is probably the most intimidating part of preparing for any trip. The idea of somehow getting people to donate nearly $7,000 to me in one month seemed impossible. However, knowing I have a wide support base of family and friends, plus having God on my side made me confident that it was possible. As of today, I only have about $1,000 left to raise. This may seem a bit daunting, but after having already raised $6,000 it is totally doable. 

     This week will be my last week working until we get back in November. I scheduled it that way so I will be able to maximize my time with family and friends the entire week prior to our leave date. I am looking forward to it as I will get to spend some one-on-one time with my niece and nephews as well as spending quality time with family and friends without having anything to stress or worry about. 

     I think that is everything I have to update on for now. I would like to give a big thank-you to everyone who has partnered with me so far. Everyone has been so incredibly generous and I am thankful to have you all in my life. I look forward to updating you next week with where I am at with support raising, packing, and some photos of all the fun things I am doing during my last week prior to our send off date!