Tonight I get on a plane to a country I’ve never been to before. The university I work for asked me to lead a group of students to the Dominican Republic, where we’ll partner with an organization that helps local churches provide basic resources to their community – clean water, food, shelter, childcare.

They asked me back in October, and I hesitated – am I the right person for this? Me, the introvert? Me, the non-joiner? Me, the oft forgetful, haphazard, doing-too-many-things-at-once girl? It’s a big commitment, to lead a team of students, to raise the funds and stick through all the challenges and pull myself out of my introversion and leave my life behind for a week.

But I shut my eyes and clutched the phone and just said yes. 

Sometimes you just have to do that, you know? Forget how busy you are and how you don’t really know if you can afford to step away from life as usual; it is time to do something different and trust that it will be good and right and maybe eye-opening.

It’s been an adventure just trying to get us there.

There have been challenges every step away, from finding a co-leader to go with me, to raising all the funds, to making sure my international students received their visas on time, to wondering whether my paternal grandmother will hang onto life for a few more days until I get back and can be there for my family, right down to finally being able to pick up my passport this morning. (YES. This morning.)

I couldn’t even write about it because a part of me wondered whether it would actually happen. But it is. And every time I’ve worried about whether I’m right for this or things will turn out okay, things fall into place. Every. Single. Time. Our trip is fully funded, everyone has their visas and passports, and my grandma is still hanging on.*

And so I’m learning, before I’ve even set foot on the plane, that this isn’t about shriveled, whiny, confused me, but about faithfulness, trust, arms-wide-open life.

Let the real adventure begin.

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Say a prayer for G’ma Phyllis and my family, will you? And for our team, that we have safe travel, teachable moments, and a whole lotta fun. See you in a week, friends.