I would like to preface by stating that I do not claim to be a writer. I am inconsistent, and sometimes it is difficult to pull my thoughts together in an organized manner. So let this serve as your warning to throw out any expectations you may have of this blog. If you were hoping for more, you can check out my teammate's blog at daileyrambles.blogspot.com.
If you're in it for the long haul [Mom], I welcome you to the madness. Let's begin.
For those who are unaware of the months leading up to this crazy adventure, let me be the first to fill you in on what has been going on behind the scenes. [If this is old news, feel free to scroll.]
Back in October, I was presented with the opportunity to graduate a semester early--December 2016. I was overjoyed at the prospect, but I would have to take a couple of summer classes to make this possible. That did not seem like a big deal, so I began planning out what my summer would look like. I was hoping to squeeze in a short-term mission trip somewhere, if possible. I had been to Nicaragua the summer before, and I had the option to return for another week this May. There were a few other trips that seemed interesting, but I could not quite decide what I was going to do. Getting tipped off by my BCM, I explored the SendTN website for mission trips and came across the international page. There were only a few listed, but one of them was a summer-long trip to Argentina. That immediately got my attention.
For years now, I have had an unprecedented attachment to Argentina. My past few years of Spanish classes and projects has only increased my interest in the country. Although the opportunity excited me, I did not want to give up the idea of an early graduation. I was encouraged to start an online application for the trip, just in case I changed my mind, but I soon put it aside. Steven (my BCM director) called a few weeks after school started in the spring semester to let me know that my application would be deleted in a week due to inactivity. I told him to ask me again in a few days, and then I would give him the official green light to shut it down. In a matter of hours, my intentions to discard the application vanished, and I kicked it into high gear to finish by the approaching due date.
Within two weeks, I found myself in an interview with a group of other students from around Tennessee who all hoped to spend their summers on mission, too. Our group had been warned several times that we might not get our first choice in location/trip. As I drove home from the interview, I had almost resigned myself to the idea that there was no way I would get my first pick, so I was a little surprised and very overjoyed to be told that I was, in fact, going to be serving in Argentina this summer. This meant two things: once again, I would be graduating with my fellow classmates in May 2017, and that I had a ton of money to raise ASAP.
It is crazy how quickly and overwhelmingly my friends and family jumped in to support me on this journey. Piece by piece, I was given more information about my trip, filling me with excitement and anxiety. My departure was approaching. Quickly. Soon enough I found myself on the road and headed to meet with all of the other SendTN summer missionaries at orientation. The more time that elapsed before my journey, the more worry and fear crept in. I was going to be away from home--my family, my friends, my language, my familiarity and comfort--for two and a half months. I have never done anything quite like this before. But God has been so faithful throughout the entire process. He was the one that prompted me to apply for and complete the application for the trip, who raised 100% of my support, who gave me a wonderful group of people to pray for and encourage me daily, who has never left my side for a moment. He has woven Himself into the entire story, and I am so thankful. How can I fear if He is my guide?
So here I am. In Buenos Aires, Argentina. Can you believe it? I sure can't. Lindsay (my teammate) and I arrived this morning around 7am UTC (which is 6am EST) and headed straight to our apartment to be briefed. It's going to be a crazy adventure.
