Counting down the days!

The time is nearly here! The papers have all been submitted. The tests have been completed. The projects have been presented, and the books have been highlighted and shelved to rest for the duration of the summer. All other distractions have been fulfilled and there is nothing more to do but to finish packing in preparation for the summer. Typically, I would have the car packed and be on my merry way driving back home to North Carolina, but instead I have been presented with an incredible opportunity to spend time serving others in the eastern hemisphere.

For those of you who don't know, I have been blessed enough to be able to travel to Namwianga, Zambia for 6 weeks during the summer. My time overseas was made possible by the speech-language pathology graduate program at Harding University, a program committed to bombarding each graduate student with the opportunity to interact with a wide variety of people with whom we can individually serve someday. While the bulk of the population has consisted of those in the White County area, the summer presents itself with an amazing chance to engage ourselves in the culture and the hearts of those in Zambia, Africa.

I have been extremely blessed in my life, allowing me to partake in a plethora of cultures, encompassing those in the Caribbean and Central America, many from central and western Europe, and a substantial portion of the United States. Yet again I have been provided with the opportunity to immerse myself in the life and styles of those in Namwianga. In this moment, I am excited beyond belief; terrified of what I will face; nervous, overjoyed, sad to leave the familiar, and yet exhilarated and itching to go throw myself into a new environment. This environment is one where I am surrounded by familiar faces of my fellow classmates and professors, yet am forced to trust solely on my upbringing and in the hope that God is constant, regardless of where I am.

Only God knows how I will be challenged, what I will face, and who I will become; I'm just along for the ride!