26 days.

August is nearly over. Which, for my roommates and many friends means returning to university. For me, it means that September is nearly here.. Which in turn means September 22 is nearly here... Which means flying to Mexico for DTS!!!!!!!!

Planning on keeping this post short and sweet. It has blown my mind how fast this summer has gone, and how close DTS is. Fundraising is going slow and steady. Every time I freak out that I will not have enough money I get a phone call from home saying I got a donation from someone at church, or a letter in a mail with a cheque enclosed. That being said, I am still in need of funds to pay for my outreach phase of this journey. God is good, and He will provide.

26 days. So much to do, so many people to say goodbye to or catch up with, so much to accomplish in that time. I am learning how to rely on God more and more every day, even though that scares me. Slowly things are falling into place. I feel at peace that doing this DTS and abandoning school for a year is exactly what God wants me to do.

Peace in the moment.

So often lately I find myself worrying about things.

Not to the point that I'm developing an ulcer, but man, I have a lot to do before DTS. I feel like my thought process is like a record, caught on the same loop forever. "Sarah you have to buy travel insurance... buy flight ticket... raise more money... figure out where to live in February upon returning... JOB?!?!? ...see so many people before I go... say my goodbyes... oh my GOODNESS I am moving to MEXICO in 34 days..." etc, etc. It's a lot for one brain to handle!!! It seems as though the next 34 days will be packed with wayyyy too many things.

If we go through life worrying about what needs to be done, we miss moments.

I have had several bursts of inspiration lately, telling me to just relax. One was at the Edmonton Fringe Festival, I was drawn to one particular booth. A lady had brightly colored paintings that really caught my eye. I quickly found out that she integrated Bible verses into each of her paintings. One in particular caught my eye.. it was Luke 12:25.

Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?  Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

It was such a beautiful painting, and such a good reminder to me!! The reminder I had was from my dear friend Matt, when we were skyping. He just told me to take time to relax, and not worry about anything because  God is in control. Such simple words, but how quickly we forget them. Sometimes life can seem hectic. But when we remember to find peace in the moment, we will be blessed by God's grace. It's so refreshing to just take a breather and bask in God's wonderful mercy. Thanks, God.

"God doesn't want perfect people, He wants willing people!"

Yesterday I had the most wonderful conversation with a man who has worked with YWAM for years. I was at a wedding, and my friend's parents called me over to introduce me to George. George has been working with YWAM for many years, and we hit it off right away.

In our conversations, he told lots of stories about his travels bringing teams of kids to Mission Adventures, and just how it touched their hearts, as well as his. I was telling him about my plans to do my DTS in September, and he was delighted. He told me one thing that really stayed with me - and that is that God doesn't want/need perfect people to be called into mission work, but He does however want willing people. That just stayed with me. I told him how I don't have all the funding at this moment to pay for this DTS but I'm willing to go anyways, and I have faith that God will provide. He really encouraged me in that, and that God WILL provide.

I also had a super encouraging time this evening. One of the guys from my DTS lives in Edmonton as well. We decided to meet for coffee. After a little investigating we found out.... the first time I lived in Edmonton, we were neighbors!!!! Literally!! My family rented half a duplex from his family for about a month while we were looking for a more permanent home. Russell and I have quickly become friends. I feel so blessed right now to have the opportunity to get to know Russell before this DTS even starts. Thanks God.