I am sitting in the London Heathrow airport reflecting on the journey that has gotten me to this point. Technically I did not begin my trip towards Ethiopia until yesterday evening at 8:15 or rather 4:30 when I left for the airport. But in reality this process has taken me almost an entire year (longer if you consider what God had to do in my heart first). This time last year, I was already working on my application for student teaching and I had just found out about the CCTECC program that would be allowing me to go to Ethiopia.
Next I need to get the approval of my school to apply for going abroad. After that my application was sent to CCTECC and they began to go through the process of accepting my application. Once they accepted it they sent it to my choice schools and those schools would go through the same process to decide if I would be a good fit to student teach there. All of this took a matter of weeks and happened much more quickly than I thought, but once this happened it was only December. Then in April we had are CCTECC orientation, but honestly it did not feel real. It felt so far away, as if a dream I had and not something that would actually take place.
However, the fall approached everything came on rather suddenly. I was getting shots, applying for my visa, student teaching, doing homework, and still babysitting. Even as all of this was happening it still didn't feel like reality. But through it all I can see how God's hand was moving and working even down until today. Getting my visa turned out to be the most complicated part of the process. I originally applied for the visa 30 days in advance, but due to some complications my application was sent back and I had to start the whole process over. My visa and passport weren't actually returned to me until yesterday!! About 4 hours before I had to leave for the airport it all arrived in the mail. It was nothing short of a miracle and despite my worries, once again God proved to me how His hand is working in my individual life.
After my Visa arrived it started to hit me (but not completely) that I was actually going to Ethiopia! My mom took me to the airport and when I arrived at check in, once again I was reminded of God's presence. But this time it wasn't just about His provision, but about Him caring about the little trivial details of my life. Before leaving for the airport I had realized that my layover in London was more than long enough for me to go exploring for awhile. But I also knew that I had to pay for all of my checked-in baggage so I was planning on only checking in one bag and I would have to carry my duffle bag and my backpack everywhere. It made going downtown seem a little unrealistic, but I knew that it was not that important for me to see London (although, of course, I really wanted to). But after I arrived at the airport I learned that for my flight I was actually receiving not one, but two free checked in bags! Now I only needed to worry about my backpack and I was reminded that God also cares about the little things such as having a fun afternoon and a new cultural experience!
Being able to go into London was so distracting to me that I could barely continue processing that I would shortly be heading to Africa. So this morning after arriving at the airport I headed to the underground. With the assistance of some very helpful workers I figured out how to get a day pass and exchange my money and I took the tube down to Green Park. There I spent a few hours walking around two of the royal Gardens, visiting Buckingham Palace, a few memorials, and some shops. I headed back to the airport into time to grab a nap and I still have an hour or so before I board my final flight. After waking up from my nap and talking to a friend on facetime, reality finally hit. I will be spending the next 7 weeks in Ethiopia!! It is finally real..and in the middle of the airport I began to tear up a little.
I cannot even imagine what I will experience, who I will meet, and how God will change me and use me in Ethiopia. I remember how much my time in Costa Rica impacted me when I was 19 and as I was sitting in the airport I knew that I was leaving someone behind. I won't be the same person when I get back. And that's not a bad thing, but can be a little scary and also exciting. I know that I could easily go through life not being challenged or changed (something that I fell into during college-getting content with complacency). But I want each encounter and experience from a trip into London, to talking to someone on the plane, to my time in Ethiopia to help me become what God desires me to be. As I finish writing, the plane for Ethiopia has just started to board and I am ready to continue this journey!!
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