I will be officially leaving Michigan from June 15th-September 6th and will be living in Aberdeen, WA as I do an internship at my cousin's church. I've been to Washington state three times in the past, and I absolutely love it.The church family at River of Life Fellowship (where my cousin, Jake, is a youth pastor - and much more) is phenomenal, and almost feel like I have my own little place there. After a couple years of considering the internship, but never being able to do it, I have finally came to a place where I can say that this is what God is calling me to do. I was initially planning on working at Noah's Ark whitewater rafting company in Buena Vista, Colorado for the summer, but after an insanely long interview process, I was denied the job. Instead of feeling bummed, I was actually very excited to know that Washington was the place where I was supposed to be - I wasn't left second-guessing myself.

Whenever someone asks why I'm going there, or what I'll be doing, I kind of chuckle... the truth is that I'm really not exactly sure. I don't know if I have to pay, or if I'm getting paid, or what every specific detail is, but that's okay. I actually prefer it that way. What I have recently learned, though, is that we'll be doing a Bible study Tues-Fridays, teachers will be coming in to do teachings, we'll have worship, prayer/devotional time, and we'll be doing some travelling on a few weekends for retreats to Tacoma and Idaho. We'll also be regularly involved with the church's activities. My guestimate is that I'll be with 10ish other people my age, the girls living in the apartment at the church, and the guys elsewhere.

Anywho, I am extremely excited, but getting a little more nervous/anxious as the day of departure draws near. Three months seems like a long time to be away from home, but I'm so sure it will be worth it. My goals for this trip are pretty clear: have a more personal relationship with God through prayer, be addicted to reading my Bible, have more clarity as to what my next "step" is, and overcoming some internal struggles by learning to rely on God relentlessly. Sounds good to me!

I've heard some interest in people who would like to visit me for a few days this summer. If you'd like to, let me know! There are some possibilities. :)