slowing down.

Summer is over....school is in full swing...and I am feeling like I need to slow things down a bit. Life has been moving in fast forward...it's time to press pause! I leave for Belgium in less than a month on September 9th. And I am feeling like I just need some time to sit...to rest...to think clearly...and to gather my wits.

So...to do that...I've decided to take a few weeks off of work. This alone relieves a huge amount of stress. Not that my job is so stressful or anything...it's just that it's one more thing, one more responsibility, one more thing tugging at me, requiring my attention and my brain power. And lately, the brain power is LOW. I need to store up all I can for my trip!!

Over the next few weeks (that will fly by, I'm sure!) I have to finish getting ready for Belgium. I need to purchase a few clothing items...cook good food to freeze for Chris and the boys to heat up while I'm gone...gather the rest of my funds (for those of you who requested donation letters...they went out yesterday...thank you!)...wait patiently for my Passport...and dial in my notes for when I speak.

More important than all of these physical aspects of getting ready for a trip...I am feeling like I need to ready myself spiritually. I feel like I really need to press in to God and make sure that He and I are on the same page as far as this trip is concerned. Yes, I get to go to Belgium and see the sights but it's really about the people I encounter...and the message I bring with me...the message of encouragement and hope. And now that the boys are in school, being off of work will allow me to use my days focusing on God, spending time writing...praying...reading my bible...listening to worship music...or just sitting in the quiet. Imagine that...stillness.

Thank you for your continued support and encouragement...I can feel your prayers for me and I appreciate them very much. xo