Getting Closer

While the blogged-about version of my life has been overtaken by a lapse of silence, the real thing has been far from it – silent, that is. Rather, it has been characterized by bus motors, car horns, sirens, and the mumbled appeals of homeless men and women crouched on the sidewalks.

I’ve been living in San Francisco, can’t you tell?

Sadly, that all-too-brief season of my life is over. I had a wonderful time in the beautiful yet raw city of SF with its masses of pedestrians and fantastic farmers markets but won’t expand further than that here. If you’d like to know more, I managed a few meager blog posts over at One Hungry Soul. I’ve been gone for a week now, and it would have been a much more tearful departure if I didn’t have New Zealand hollering his seductive accent my way, reminding me that I have a plane to catch in mid September.

So, that’s what I’m here to tell you about tonight. You guys have all overwhelmed me with your generosity, and I find myself a little breathless each time I tell someone I only have $15 left to raise for my internship – $15! As in, I should take some of my paycheck from the past month, do some giving of my own and call it even!

I do not have much other news for you, but I so appreciate your prayers and support. As of today, I just flew into Seattle and am excited to soak up some time with my family before heading overseas. I will keep you posted as need be.

What a Couple Hours Can Do

Around noon today I found myself having a not-so-unexpected conversation with my mom about the what-ifs of "this whole New Zealand thing". Realistically, even though I had already received $350, the financial needs I have can not be met by my own accord.

Well, about two hours after that phone call I received a statement report from the church handling my support that took my breath away...and then in one big gulp of air sent my heart racing a mile a minute. My current need stands at $850 (out of $4000)!

Last week I received a generous donation from someone I know simply through my other blog. The unexpectedness of it all seemed to be God's reassurance that He is capable of exceeding all that we ask or imagine, and, just perhaps, His blessing is strongly on this internship.

Today there is no backing out. I have more than enough money to buy my plane ticket, and must simply pray - and petition your prayers as well - that the rest come through, that I seek growth in humility and trust, and that I am sensitive to the voice of God as He guides me forward.

Thank you so much for your generosity.

Important Detail!

For those of you who got a letter from me in the mail, I realized it might not be obvious that there's a very helpful little bit of information on a slip of paper in the pre-addressed envelope you received.

So, if you're unsure of how to make out any checks you may be writing, pull out that little card. But make sure and put it back! Or, just take note here that all checks should be made out to Beltway Park Baptist with "missions" in the memo line.

If the card isn't there, or you lose track of it, its main purpose is to designate who the money is for. Because all these donations go into the church's books and are tax-deductible, they should not have my name on them anywhere.

That's all for now!

Hello

I am beginning this blog three months prior to my departure because the journey begins long before that plane takes off over the Pacific. In one sense, it began the day I turned in my application for Worldwide Witness, but in another, it began on the spring day in October of 1994 when my family of six boarded a plane and left Auckland.

I always knew I would return.

It is an honor to go back in an attitude of service and thanksgiving to God for all He has done and all He's going to do, which is why I mailed off over fifty letters this week with prayers on each of them.

While I have been cautious about throwing my heart into this too early in the process, now I'm far enough in that I know I'll experience hurt if plans shift. So, if they do - and that's certainly still a possibility - I'll have a good cry, ask you for continued prayer and support from a different angle, and remember back to the many lessons God has been teaching me in the past few years about his faithfulness. His perspective is so much broader and wiser than mine.

Between now and mid-September, when I plan to drive down to Los Angeles with my sister for a direct flight from LAX to Auckland, I'll use this blog to keep you informed on my needs, spiritual and financial.

Feel free to shoot me any questions or thoughts via email (laelvanessa-at-gmail-dot-com) or through the comments section of this blog.