Wow! It's been a minute, but its been a lot of good minutes. 

In the past month I've graduated college (WHAT !!!) and left for a summer of traveling the country facilitating mission trip experiences. I spent nearly three weeks in Colorado for training and it was a blast to get to meet the new staff and prepare together for our summer apart. My crew has already started our travels and we're enjoying a few days of rest before camp get crazy. 

One of the sweet things about this summer is that it's my fourth (that's a lot) summer doing this. Another sweet thing is that I got to open the same journal I've used for the past three summers again and start writing in it once more. In the process, I accidentally stumbled on to the pages I wrote last summer. 

They reflected a summer of growth, learning, and leaning into how God orchestrates His plans. They reflected high earthly expectations that were shattered by greater heavenly plans. I got to see how my own hopes at the start of the summer were wrecked and rebuilt in better ways at the end. 

At one point in the midst of a prayer overflowing from a thankful heart, I wrote "God, thank you for having greater plans than me." How SWEET that the God of the universe has great plans not just for us but FOR us, plans in favor of us! 

As my crew steps into this summer, I'm hopeful for the same feelings. For revelations and glimpses of God's plans bigger than anything we can dream of. For days we feel burnt out but part of something bigger than ourselves. 

One of the biggest challenges so far this summer has been fundraising "from afar"--I'm not close to home, surround by my people and my church, easily getting to meet with people and share about this experience. I've had to rely on online platforms and social media SO much to make connections, but at the same time, it causes those face-to-face conversations to be 10x sweeter. And, it's just one more example of how God is revealing His faithfulness to me. 

When I walked into this season nervous, He blessed me with peace. When I stressed about the busyness, He calmed all the fears. When I looked at deadlines with uncertainty, He provided m o r e. 

The thing is... God shows up. Every time. Every where. 

We're the flakes in the relationship, not God.

So this summer, I'm trying not to flake out on God so much. Trying to show up in big and small places of obedience. Trying to show up in patience and kindness and grace towards those around me. Just trying to show up... m o r e.