And the winner is...

For those of you who've been intimidated by my latest incredibly long blogs and avoided reading them, or have simply missed the news...

I'm heading to China in ONE MONTH! That's right. I leave June 28th and return August 6th.  I'll teach English to some middle school and high school students for three weeks after one week of training, then head to another country for one week of exploring the more long-term focus of the program I'm traveling through.

Until today, I had no idea which country I'd be headed to for that final week.  I mean, Laos and Cambodia were my top choices, and my coordinator said I'd most likely head to one of those.  I picked Laos because I have a friend whose sister is teaching there, but I've never met the sister or even heard about her experiences, so I have no real connection there.

The story about my Cambodia choice is pretty comparable.  A friend of a friend spent a year or semester or some extended period of time in Cambodia with YWAM and told me a little bit about her experiences when I met her at Tulip Festival (If you don't know what Tulip Festival is, Google it, then come to Orange City next year for the third weekend in May.  It's awesome, seriously.) last year.  I somehow developed a deep passion for girls caught in the sex slavery trade, so when Joy--my friend's friend--told me this was a huge issue in Cambodia, the country received the same passionate vigor.

So, I put down Laos and Cambodia as my first two choices and waited and waited and waited to hear back.  Seriously, I'm not the most patient person in the world, and I applied way back in August, so I've been waiting for quite a while.

But.. TODAY.. I found out that I will be headed to CAMBODIA for that fifth week of the English teaching program.  I'm pumped.  Part of me wishes I were doing something with the sex trade rescue missions now that I'm heading there, but who knows what God has in store for me in the future.. or even in that week!

Anyways, that's an update on my life...

I'll be traveling with Brendon, Rick, Michelle, Candise, Rachel, Abby, Joy, and our team's leader Amanda (a Dordt alum--woohoo!) to Hong Kong, and then on to Cambodia in approximately ONE MONTH.

People ask me if I'm ready.  Yes, I mean, no. I mean I don't know. I haven't really thought about packing. I'm kind of scared out of my mind. But the money's all in... in a more amazing way than I could ever have imagined. WOW. To be honest, I don't think I'll ever be ready. It's China.. I've never been there before. I'm teaching something I've never taught before. Heck, I'm teaching and I've never even really taught my own class before.

However, if you ask me if I'm excited, I'll respond with an exuberant YES! God has been faithful, so incredibly faithful, patient, loving, and grace-giving over this past year, and I know that He's going to pour that same beautiful character of His through me, my teammates, and the students I teach this summer.

One month, four days, bringing God's kingdom to China HERE I COME!

Shoot. This blog got long, too. Sorry for you reading-haters.

Short summary--China in 1 month. From there to Cambodia for the last week of July/first week of August. I'm incredibly scared and awesomely excited at the same time.  Not even sure how that's possible, but God is good.  SO GOOD.