Packing, Packing, Packing

I'm off to Cape Town in exactly 24 hours.

Yep, it's actually happening.

This calls for one of my favorite, yet strenuous, activities. Packing. I'm the epitome of the over-packer, the over-thinker, the over analyzer; basically, if it can be done over-board, then I have found a way to do it. So needless to say, packing is a slight challenge.

Also, did I mention it's winter in South Africa?  So not only do I have to figure out what to bring, but I have to make sure that it's warm enough also. I spent two hours last night "starting to pack", also known as "Oh I can take this" *throws item on chest in bedroom* "Oops, I can't even begin to narrow down all this." I haven't even gotten my suitcase out yet. .

And I'm absolutely estactic about finally heading off...except that teeny tiny minuscule detail about having to be on a plane for about 21 hours. But don't worry! It's not like I'm convinced that South Africa is just so far away and the odds of me making it back in one piece aren't so great. Or that I've never slept on an airplane in my life and it's not looking like that's about to change anytime soon! No worries, I've got it all together.

Oh wait.

I still hate flying. Come on guys, y'all should definitely know this by now. I strangely love traveling, airports, layovers, doing nothing for hours, etc. but I would just prefer it if we weren't suspended thousands of feet in the air. My mind is extremely over-creative (there's the over word again) so I'm thinking about thousands of different scenarios that could come up on this trip that would prevent me from making it home. Yes, I know that the odds are in my favor, and I'm safer up there than in a car, and yada yada yada, but that doesn't make it easier on my mind!

I'm also scared because South Africa is so far away. Like very far away and my mind can't wrap around the fact that I will be very far down on the southern hemisphere. The likelihood that we fall off the globe is highly unlikely (or nonexistent) but that hasn't stopped me from convincing myself that it's a strong possibility. I know I'm ridiculous. Bear with me. 

I'm prepared as prepared can be though. Kindle is stocked with the autobiography of Nelson Mandela, along with a fourth of the way finished Pillars of the Earth. Marilyn has supplied me with Benedryl to knock me out and keep me unconscious for as much as the flight as possible. And I've been praying about this for a long, long time. I find myself telling God (as if He didn't already know) that this was one of the scariest couple of months I've ever faced with graduation, this trip, and college. While I'm still terrified about it all, I know that He hasn't given me a heart of fear. He is present, and it's my job to be present in Him. While I'm terrified about what everything holds in my future, I know that now is the time to FULLY cling to God. So simple to do as a senior in high school when life was good. No other word could properly describe the simplicity, joy, and pureness that God has blessed my days with but good. Now that I start to shiver in the air of newness, on the brink of adventure in it's truest form, is the time to seek God's faithfulness rather than submit to my very human fear.

Keep me in your prayers, lovelies, and I'll do the same. Pray for a sense of place, unhindered love, and the fearlessness that comes from Him alone.

To the Moon and Back,
Allie

"For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline."
- 2 Timothy 4:7