And the Adventure Begins!

Reality is beginning to set in now that I am only 16 hours from departing for England. I still remember filling out all the paper work for the trip during the fall and thinking that this day was forever away. This year, however, has gone incredibly fast, which I am thankful for but also a little sad that my college career is quickly coming to an end. This year has definitely been one full of trials and disappointments but also one of many achievements as well. Reflecting on the past few months I have seen how much I have grown as an individual and in my faith in Christ. Everything that has happened this year, although hard at times, has shaped me into the woman God wants me to be and I believe this trip will be another opportunity for me to grow and be pushed out of the comforts I so often find myself clinging to.

Now that I am counting down the hours before I leave instead of days, I am experiencing mixed feelings of excitement and nervousness. I spent most of today packing and then taking everything out and repacking; eliminating things that I can live without for a couple months if I absolutely must in order not to go over the 50 lb requirement. I even bought space bags with hopes it would give me more room in my bag. It's very easy to overpack for longer trips because you want to prepare for every situation but in reality that's impossible because there is no way to know everything that could happen. Another fear is that I will forget something important at home. I have actually come to a point of accepting the fact that I will forget something so when I actually do it's not as upsetting (haha). I also know that God will take care of me no matter the situation I find myself in, which brings me comfort and less anxiety.

The next couple days will definitely be very tiring and I know I will be relieved to finally arrive in Liverpool. Our flight leaves Indianapolis at 3:18 tomorrow afternoon, in which we will then fly to Philadelphia where we will have a 3 hour layover. From there we will fly straight to Manchester, arriving at 8:45 Monday morning. Once we get to Liverpool we will have an hour to unpack our things and then we will jump right into orientation. We will not be able to sleep until 5:00 that evening in order to get adjusted to the time change. I am already tired thinking about the next couple days but I know it will all be worth it in the long run!

I now must go to bed so i'm energized for the next couple days. The next time I blog it will be in Liverpool, England and I am so excited to inform everyone how the flight went and the first couple days in Liverpool! Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers, they mean so much!

Cheerio!
Dani