Work, Visa, Pack, ACK!!!

I leave in 16 Days!!! Holy Bible! I'm so excited!!

So life without a car has certainly been interesting. For the first week I really was stranded BUT thankfully my dad works down the street so we had a system going where he would pick me up before he went to work and then I'd have his car for a few hours... then I realized I should try and work if possible but that would mean needing a car for the entire day. Well, my dads friend is "watching" someone's car so the friend used that car, my dad is using his friends car, and I'm using my dads car. Got it? haha... It could not have worked out any better. Everyone has a car! yay! God has again provided. So I've been able to work at Disney a little more, which although I'm ready to get out of Disney, I have to admit I still have fun with it... and I've been able to work with some awesome girls!

Anyway, about 2 weeks ago I sent my Visa papers to D.C., and they have been approved! Yay, Jesus! I'm just waiting to receive it in the mail :) God is good... all the time. The last thing I have left is to pack! They gave us a list of things to bring, all of your basic necessities. Clothes, sleeping bag, backpack for hiking, warm clothes though because it will be their winter during our summer. I haven't started packing but I did buy a few warm sweaters :) all I need is to find a warm jacket! I'm assuming their winter is kind of like Florida's winter... but they also said it's very windy and rainy. I need to get some of those cute rain boots maybe...so much to do! I've decided not to do a lot of shopping over here, one because I don't have a ton of money (lol) and two because I can always buy things over there once I see what I really need... La!

Besides waiting on my visa to return and figuring out what to pack and how to get to work... God has continued to do amazing things financially. By selling my car it gave me just enough to go on my trip... but then other expenses started coming up, like the overnight mailing fees, shot prices, visa fees, fees everywhere! But God has continued to surprise me. When I started this whole "I want to go to South Africa" thing I thought how great it would be to go DEBT FREE! I don't have a ton of debt but I have to admit, I do have a credit card that I have been paying off. When I was about 22 I went a little crazy with a credit card (nothing too serious) but, well, I need to pay off $1,700. Don't JUDGE ME!!! lol, lesson learned. ANYWAY, I received funds from my tax return this month AND... also 2 of my amazing family members from up north made a wonderful donation to the trip. SO with that tax return I will be able to go to South Africa DEBT FREE! AND God once again surprised me with the donation from my family, what a blessing!! God is sending me to South Africa with all of my tuition funds and plane ticket paid for, my credit card paid off, and EXTRA money for whatever I might need while I am over there. WOW!!!!!!!!!! I love seeing God work in my life and through others as well :)

What a journey this has been... In January of this year I honestly did not think I would make it to South Africa by April. But God did it...amazing. Things happened so quickly that before I knew it I had a plane ticket, visa, funds, and more. I can't believe I have reached this point. I leave in 16 days and it still doesn't feel real, once I'm at the airport maybe it will? lol... so crazy to think it's actually happening.

Through this whole thing I have gone through soo many emotions. I can't even count the number of nights I have just cried with music blasting in my room, usually music by"Jesus Culture." But God got me through those days/nights and my faith was tested... I felt like the disciples who were on the boat with Jesus, the storm came and they were worried by it, afraid that they would drown.. and Jesus said-- "He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”" (Mark 4:40) and He calmed the storm. I know we are human and we're going to be scared and cry and be unsure but at the same time we know Jesus will calm the storms... on these nights I didn't know how he would calm my storms but I knew he would, I just cried it out with God. What a great feeling it is to cry with our God, our Father. It is so comforting to know He is always there.

I just want to say thank you, to all of you. Thank you for your prayers, thank you for your donations, your encouragement, your help with the garage sales.. some of you have shared your stories/blogs with me and those have been more than helpful as well.. I'm so thankful for all of my friends and family who have helped me through this journey. THANK YOU!

I love you all dearly and pray that God blesses and watches over you always.
I will keep you all updated on this whole journey, stay close and keep praying!
Love and Blessings,
Kelly

ByeBye Car HELLO SOUTH AFRICA!!

Sooo...I sold my car! It was something I've thought about doing since this all started but for certain reasons I decided not to right away... after praying and considering all of my options I knew it was what needed to be done. I had been to Carmax for the past two months and after the first time I was like there is NO WAY I am selling my car for the price they gave me. Well, after I realized it would be almost enough for my trip, I decided to go through with it. I had them reappraise my car a 2nd time and again they gave me the low price..

This past Friday, I was on my way to carmax...a good friend of mine had prayed for me over the phone and I knew God was right there in the passenger seat next to me. This was such a scary decision for me. As most of you know, I do not like making decisions. Once I got into the parking lot of Carmax I prayed that God would give me favor and watch over me as I went through this process. I asked to speak with a manager who then forwarded me to the "appraisal guy." Long story short, they gave me an extra $1,000!!!! AMEN!!! I am so thankful we have a God who truly is our Provider, who is bigger than anything else in the world... that when the world says the economy is down, or the bank is broken... our God is Still there to take care of us. Ugh, I LOVE IT!!

The next day (this past Saturday), I bought my plane ticket! It's really happening!! The last thing I need is my VISA. I probably should've gotten this before the ticket, but for some reason I thought we had to show a purchased plane ticket.. I know, silly thinking. But, it's okay because I'm trusting God will take care of it... look what He's done so far! I love how my YWAM Leader put it, "I love the suprises God has for us and can't wait to see what else he surprises you with!" God DOES have surprises for ALL of us!!

This week my dad has been letting me borrow his car. Yesterday (Monday) I got all of my vaccinations. There's really only a few since most of them were completed when I was young. I had to get a Tetanus shot, Hepatitis A, typhoid, and an Xray (to show that I do not have TB).. the Xray was cool, I took a picture with my iPhone lol.

So now, I have a plane ticket, shots, and am just waiting on my Visa. I will be sending all of my Visa papers this Thursday. PRAY PRAY PRAY!

Thank you ALL for supporting, encouraging, donating, and praying. I can't thank you enough. Please continue to pray! ..and if you have any prayer requests don't hesitate to email or comment.

LOVE and BLESSINGS!!
Kelly