Departing tomorrow

I have spent a delightful time in York visiting with old friends, and profesors, and generally just enjoying some time off and to myself before everything begins.

I depart tomorrow and I believe the enormity of what is happening has begun to sink in, but only just. My mind is so full of thinking about finishing out the day, doing some repacking, seeing a few more friends, and knowing what a long and tiring trip I have ahead of me that I can't think much beyond that right now.

People keep asking me how I'm feeling about it, and I haven't been very good at answering that question. I think the real answer to the question is realistic: I feel like I have very realistic expectations and ideas about what is to come. I know that arriving in Thailand will be exciting, overwhelming, and difficult. I know that many wonderful, interesting, new, beautiful, difficult, unfamiliar, strange, confusing, and delightful things and experiences await me. I know I will sometimes enjoy things and sometimes get frustrated with things; I know I will love people there fiercely, and at the same time miss others that I have left behind desperately. And I also know that through all these different things and experiences and feelings I will have that God will guide me through a step at a time, and grow me and mold me in amazing ways, and I know that it will be wonderous to get to be there and watch Him work.
I look upon my arrival in Thailand with excited anticipation; I am so ready to do and to learn and to talk. But that is also tempered by knowing that I will not find things wonderful and perfect at every turn, and it is sobering to think what an important task I am about to attempt.

So, that's how I'm feeling (to put it as briefly as possible).

Pray God's traveling mercies upon me the next few days as I venture forth.

"If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." Ps. 139:9-10