Countdown till takeoff

So I was thinking... that in 15 days I will be leaving for the Philippines! Almost a year ago my church from home started discussing a mission trip abroad, in 15 days we will be taking a group of 18 to Manila to work with KIM(kids international ministries). My countdown has turned from 300ish days to 15: ) and I am over the moon about this trip!! So since we are 15 days away from our departure, here are 15 things I'm excited about!

1. I've never been abroad before, so I am excited that this will be my first trip over seas.

2. My dad, mom, and brother will be joining me! I can't wait to see how this trip will be a blessing to all of us.

3. As most of you know I have a heart for kids, so I'm excited to be able to work with the children at the orphanage and the school.

4. I am excited to get to help children learn to read all the way across the world.

5. I'm ready to get to play basketball and jump rope and act like a first grader again! (I've already been told that the kids are basketball pros so prepare to lose, ha)

6. I'm ready to leave our fast paced culture for a while and hoping to truly live each moment at a time.

7. I'm so ready to see all of the children and love on as many as I can, and tell them how much God loves them.

8. I'm excited to build relationships with the kids and team members.

9. I'm praying for strength as I know these precious children of God will tug on my heart.

10. I'm praying for guidance on how to best share the light of His Word with the people I meet.

11. I know God will meet us there and I'm excited to see His mighty Hand at work.

12. I'm ready to smile until my cheeks hurt at how amazing these children are.

13. I'm excited about proclaiming the Gospel through action and word.

14. I'm excited about seeing a new culture and God's children in action.

15. I'm ready to give all I have to make sure these children know they are loved.

I cannot wait till I can get on that airplane and fly across the world. I ask that you pray for hearts to be opened and God's love shown.I know that I will gain more from these precious children than I can ever give but I pray for God's love to shine through where my abilities fail. I pray that everything is for God's glory and praise. I'm ready for my life to be changed;I'm ready to see these precious faces that I've only seen online.

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Mark 16:15

~rachel