Let the Countdown Begin! 8 DAYS

Let me just begin by saying...God is AWESOME!!!
He's already brought me on quite the journey with all the preparatory work. Just to update you a little, all of the funding that I was budgeting for has come in! So thank you to all of you who have been so generous in your giving. Second, God has provided a place for me to stay while there. I will be living with Stephany Hawk who is a pediatrician. Please pray that God would help us to connect instantly and that we would be able to have a relationship that builds each other up in Christ.
Like I said, God has really been doing some awesome things in my life. Since school has been out, I have been quite busy! The first three weeks of May were spent with family, helping my sister in her classroom, building my parent's house, road tripping with my Dad, catching up with old friends, and two very special weddings. The first week in June, I was able to help with Royal Family Kids Camp which i feel can only give me a taste of what I will experience when in Africa. The past two weeks, I have been traveling as a sponsor for New Way Singers. It is an auditioned Choir Tour that NCC does to help high school students deepen their walk with Christ. I went into it thinking it would be a great way for me to prepare for being an RA this coming fall. It was great for that, but little did I know that God was also preparing my heart in mighty ways for this trip!
The Theme for NWS was Inside Out. It was about learning to allow God to have everything on the inside so that we can love and serve people on the outside, just as He has called us to do. While on tour, I realized that even though I had committed to going to Africa, I hadn't yet let Him have complete control over the trip. I had been holding onto parts of it, mainly the idea of my safety while traveling, and issues concerning fear, anxiety, etc.
One of the songs, "From the Inside Out" has a line that says, "Your will above all else, my purpose remains, the art losing myself in bring you praise" I finally understood, that I have to be willing to even risk my life to completely give Him control. Another song, "Ready Now" says, "I'm ready now. Do what you will!" These two lines have meant so much to me and I truly have been praying them and am now beginning to feel ready to go on whatever journey God has in store for me. I have complete confidence that He will take away all the fears. But I now understand, all that matters is my obedience and willingness to serve him in order to glorify His name!
Please do continue to pray that I would be able to clearly hear from God, that He would protect me, calm my fears, bring comfort to my family when I'm gone, and guide every step I take the next 8 days leading up to my departure and the 6 1/2 weeks following!