First of all, I'm grateful for the support and encouragement of my family and friends and church. Without this personal up-building, I would have struggled hard with the confidence and momentum that I needed to be successful in school, relationships, and life in general!
I'm grateful also for my education. We Canadians are so lucky! It's really amazing that we can be so available and encouraged by society to spend such a long period of our lives simply learning, becoming experts in the topics we choose. And the skills that I've had time to learn can now be applied.
Volunteer trips such as this one present a large financial burden. Many of you know that I had a fundraising (or fun-raising as some call it) campaign to offset some of those costs. I have been blessed to reach my fundraising goals! I am so humbled by everyone's generosity, and have refreshed faith that God is definitely faithful to his word:
Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be answered. -Matthew 7:7
Finally, I'm thankful for the time. I have always looked forward to the stretch of time between completing my degree and beginning a career job. I never thought I'd be able to do something so profound. I not only have the time to do this travel, but have also had an incubation time where I've been able to prepare for this trip; physically, financially, and spiritually. I feel that this time is very precious, and I want to use it wisely.
I'm so blessed.
8Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. -1Peter 4:8-11
