Lord prepare me

I truly believe that preparing your heart and preparing yourself before hand for a mission trip is more difficult than actually arriving and spending your time there. Two weeks from today I will be on the first leg of my trip to Gulu, Uganda. My trip will start with a 2 hour flight from Atlanta to Newark, followed by a 9 hour flight to Brussels, then finally arriving in Uganda after a 10 hour flight from Brussels. We will spend the night in Entebbe and wake up the next day and start the 7 hour drive to Gulu in northern Uganda. Considering how much I do not like flying, it has been very difficult for me to get my mind off the traveling and onto actually being there. 

I think that so often people come back from a mission trip not exactly getting what they were expecting out of it, and sometimes I think it is because we are not always fully prepared for the depth of the work that the Lord has planned for us. In preparation for this trip I have read the book "When Helping Hurts" and it has greatly expanded my mindset for the reasons we do missions and the most efficient ways to do missions. Although this book is very strongly opinionated, I do agree with parts of the book and disagree with parts of the book. I do not want to go into full detail about it, but if you have time to read it I would definitely encourage it because it does give great insight to the things that Four Corners Ministries is doing in Uganda and the ways that they are making an impact. 

But the point is, I have been trying to prepare my heart for what is to come. I know that some people may call me crazy for graduating high school and wanting to spend half of my summer in Africa with no one that I know right before leaving for Ole Miss, but regardless I could not be more excited and ready to experience the Lord in a new way. I am desperately seeking the Lord and his strength because although I am excited, I also am nervous to be across the world for so long. I am praying that the Lord will calm my heart and give me the courage I need to get on the plane ready to live out the great commission. As the next two weeks come to a close and I get ready to depart for Uganda on July 3rd, I really ask you all to pray for my heart so that I will be fully able and ready to boldly proclaim the Gospel with every word I speak (Ephesians 6:19-20.) 

~Lauren