Bigger Than My Suitcase

My suitcase just broke, and I'm a bit flustered because I cannot figure out where the heck I'm going to put my sleeping bag and pillow. Amidst all this craziness I feel God tapping me on the shoulder and saying, "Hey, you can't do this alone, remember?"

Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." But somehow I tend to replace the word Christ with Hannah. All I am is a puny little human, yet again and again I think I know it all. For some odd reason I find it so easy to trust God with the huge things, like raising $5, 400. But when it comes to finding the money to buy a suitcase I automatically freak. Does that even begin to make sense? I want to go into this trip with total peace, because I know that the Holy Spirit is totally and completely capable of giving me that. He is so much greater than me, this world, and my suitcase :). Why should I even worry? I know He will take care of me always.

10 Days. 10 Things I Don't Want To Leave. 10 Things I Can't Wait To Find.

10 Days.

Ten days until I leave for Atlanta and then Uganda! Here are ten things I don't want to leave behind, and ten things I can't wait to find!

Things I Don't Want To Leave Behind..

1) Friends & Family

2) Another Ohio autumn..baking, leaves changing colors, hot apple cider, delicious smells, tasty pies.

3) Hot showers!

4) The Hobbit coming to theaters December 14th. Nerdy right?;) I totally would of dressed up for the midnight premiere!

5) My big and comfortable bed!

6) Not having to apply tons of sunscreen and bug spray on a daily basis.

7) Taylor Swift's new Red album releasing October 22nd. Big big T-Swift fan.

8) Thanksgiving (:

9) Understanding what people are saying and being able to easily communicate.

10) Living in my comfort zone.

Things I Can't Wait To Find!

1) Encountering God in a whole new way!

2) Experiencing new cultures!

3) Meeting the beautiful people of Uganda!

4) All the super tight friendships I'm going to make..especially with my team!

5) Not having technology invade my life 24/7.

6) Dancing! The people of Uganda evidently love to dance..as do I! :)

7) All the new experiences the Lord will bless me with!

8) Worship!

9) Intense spiritual growth!

10) The unknown. Having faith that God is going to completely bless me in ways I can't even begin to imagine on a daily basis!

Can I just say that the second list was much much easier to come with then the first. For the most part the things I don't want to leave behind are worldly and temporary. Whereas the things I'm looking forward to finding are mostly spiritual, and everlasting. I cannot believe that in ten days I will be at training camp! God is good! Please be praying!

His Daughter,

Hannah Renee'

Uganda Be Kidding Me!

My oh my! I never knew there were so many things that would need to be done in order to prepare for a mission trip! Shots, insurance, doctor visits, getting the gear, the list goes on. But I'm kind of glad this endless to-do list is keeping me occupied, because I'm beyond excited for this trip! Maybe I should start packing....

Okay so here is a little update on my soon to be adventure:

-My trip is completely funded!!! Praise Jesus!!

-Found out that I will be flying to Amsterdam (Netherlands!) then to Nairobi (Kenya) ..not exactly sure why we are flying to Kenya and not Uganda??

-11 people are on our team, including 2 leaders. :)

-This Wednesday (Aug 22nd) I'm going to be having a fundraiser/spirit rally at the Strongsville Chick-Fil-A. (more details to come) All money is going towards paying for airfare to Atlanta, shots, etc.

-While in Uganda I will be blogging through AIM's site. Here is the link if you want to check it out: http://uganda.adventures.org/

Things to be praying for: peace, that God would provide the money needed to pay for all the "extras", that the Lord's will would be done, that He would be growing my entire team and preparing our hearts, that He would protect, bless and grow all those we meet on our trip.

A Chapter Ends. A Chapter Begins.

Sweet nostalgia. Tonight was our last night at youth group, man oh man so many tears! One by one all my friends whom I have become so close to over the past year are slowly heading off to their colleges. I feel like its even harder to say goodbye knowing that its going to be awhile before I seem them again, but I know that time is going to fly. God has totally and completely blessed me in the last year, beyond anything I could have ever hoped for. Which only makes me so incredibly pumped for the crazy awesome adventures that are sure to come!

If I could sum up what I've learned in the past year its that God is one thing, good. SO good! He has grown my heart and stretched me in ways I never knew possible. He allowed me to get a little better glimpse of His heart and completely blew me away. I can definitely say that at this point I am so head of heals for our Creator! What an amazing feeling it is to be so in love with someone you know will always love you forever and ever. Complete bliss. :)

I'm sad that this chapter in my life is slowly closing, but I'm so pumped for the next to begin! I can't even believe that in sixteen days I will be in Africa! How crazy is that?? God is SO good. =) Over the next week and a half, I'm curious to see how the Lord will grow and prepare me for Uganda. One thing is for sure, this will definitely be an adventure.

His Daughter,

Hannah Renee'

20 Days..20 Things To Pray For

20 Days.

Twenty days until I head off for Atlanta and later Uganda! Here are twenty things that you all can be praying for!

1) His Will~Pray that whatever God wants to happen will happen, pray for His perfect will to be done.

2) Uganda~Pray for the people of Uganda, that God would totally blow their minds with His love and grace.

3) All We Encounter~Pray for not only those we meet in Uganda but everyone we encounter..even those at the airport:)

4) Provision~Pray that the Lord would provide the last $682.45..as well as the money to pay for all of the "extra" stuff. (shots, airfare, etc)

5) My Team~Pray that the Lord would grow our hearts and our love for Him. Also pray for friendship and bonding. (something I'm super pumped for!)

6) God As Father~Pray that those who come from broken homes in Uganda would be able to understand God as a father.

7) Health & Safety~Pray for God's protection to be over us as we travel and live in Uganda.

8) Ebola Threat~Pray for the ebola threat currently going on in Uganda, for those affected, and that they would be able to contain it. (Also pray for the friends & family of those who have lost a love one because of it)

9) Willing Hearts~Pray that as the Lord shapes all of those on my team, and that we would be willing to be stretched..even when it hurts.

10) Energy~Pray for energy..I'm sure we will be quite tired from time to time!

11) Hanging Out With Christ~Pray that we would all make time to hang out with God on our own. (to read the Word, pray, journal, etc)

12) God's Love~Pray that the people of Uganda would see God's love through us.

13) Lot of Laughs~Pray that we would be able to have lots of fun!

14) Healing~Pray for healing among the brokenness of Uganda.

15) Filled With Christ~Pray that the Lord would empty me of myself and fill me with Him.

16) Boldness~Pray that Christ would give us the boldness to openly witness to others.

17) Worship~Pray that we would be able to worship and honor Christ in all we do.

18) Remember The Point~Pray that through all of this we would remember the point, why we are going. Christ loves us. Christ saved us. Christ wants to have a relationship with us.

19) Joyfulness~Pray that we would be able to be joyful and praise God among all circumstances. (even through tears & food poisoning) ;)

20) Not Just Another Mission Group~Pray that we wouldn't be just another mission team that comes and leaves. Pray that the Lord would use us to make an impact on His beautiful people.