12/25/2017 0 Comments My Travel SandalsI figured I couldn't just talk about the great bargain that I got on my travel sandals without actually showing you them. So these are my new sandals I will be using on my trip to India as well as my future trips. They are Croft & Barrow brand and the size that I got is 8.5. You can see from the right photo that these shoes are normally $60 and I got them for $1.20 (woop! woop!) Disclaimer: I normally where a 9.5/10 in tennis shoes. Croft & Barrow shoes have always been large on my feet so an 8.5 in this brand fits my foot like a glove. Whenever I buy any shoes (and clothes for that matter) I tend to try and get only neutral colors. I personally prefer neutral everything but also neutral shoes will go with any outfit that I wear.
I have been wearing these sandals pretty much since I bought them in order to break them in as much as I can before I head off to India. I have had the bad habit in the past of buying new shoes right before my trip and forgetting to break them in before I go on the trip. I cut it a little close this time, but these sandals haven't really given me any trouble so far. One thing that I was looking for in a travel sandal (aside from being a neutral color) was the ability, if I really needed to, to wear socks with them. These sandals have that ability since they do not have any straps between individual toes. In the occasion that I would have to wear socks with these, I would have that ability without any restrictions from the shoe itself. Overall I love these shoes and so far they receive no complaints from me. I will be posting updates about how these shoes hold up throughout my trip.
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12/23/2017 0 Comments Stress-filled Missions MomentsMany people tend to talk about and focus on the fun and beautiful moments when they discuss their mission trip or when they are preparing for one. By nature, we don't like to talk about the ugly moments in missions. Now I have no experience in long term missions. I have only taken a couple overseas missions trips in my life, but I have traveled quite a bit. In the midst of a broken home where I packed a bag every weekend, to traveling for Girl Scouts and in addition traveling for vacations and volunteering and finally now traveling for missions. There is a certain amount of stress and anxiety that comes with traveling in general, but I feel that stress seems even heavier when it comes to going on a missions trip. You are not just traveling for fun, you are traveling with a purpose.
I have found that right before I go on a missions trip, whether across town or across the world, I get this anxiety that causes even the smallest of things going wrong to set me over the edge-- like I wasn't dangling off the edge in the first place. This anxiety is sometimes not just out of nowhere but because of something I did. I didn't figure my time right or made travel arrangements that would arrive a little later than ideal (I didn't do that this time at all...) but no matter the cause, it is there... lingering and eating away at me. What happens if I don't do everything perfectly right? What happens if I get there and I say something wrong or someone doesn't like me on my team? The truth is that things might go wrong. You might not get along with your team or the people that you are working with. You will probably at some point say the wrong thing. (It would honestly be a miracle if you didn't) And that is okay. Because somehow in the midst of our vast array of imperfections, God uses us to show people His message. We are not always qualified and we are not always perfect for the job. But when God calls us, and we go... He honors our obedience and He promises that He will be there with us through it all. So in the midst of my minor heart attack and toddler-like crying episode tonight when I realized that I would probably need to change my travel plans to Chicago, a combination of my mom's compassion and God's unending reassurance and peace helped me figure everything out and I am coming to a conclusion on other options. That's just my one moment of stress throughout this trip. Yours may look really different. In fact, everyone's stress and situation is usually very different, but our God is always the same. So no matter what "travel stressor" you are experiencing right now, just know that God has most likely placed people in your life that can help you and you can ask God for peace and wisdom in your stressful situation. 12/23/2017 0 Comments A Blessing for $1.20I couldn't help but share my blessing of the day. Mom and I went to kohls to get her some tennis shoes and as always I went over and looked at the clearance. I have really been hoping to buy some travel type of sandals for my India trip and some other missions trips I am hoping to take in the near future. So there I was in the shoe clearance praying out loud for a pair of traveling sandals for India that would be under 5 bucks and I looked around and I found a pair of travel sandals for 1.20!!! And I have a 30% off so they ended up being basically $0.84. I am so excited to finally have a pair of sandals for my missions trips that I didn't have to pay a ton of money for.
I thought that I would share this as a reminder that God works through the big things (fundraising) and the small ones (Getting shoes) when it comes to missions trips as well as life in general. God may just be waiting for you to come to Him and ask Him for exactly what you need, and then provide it. 12/20/2017 0 Comments SEVEN DAYS!In the middle of finals and moving, I completely forgot to keep up with my fundraising posts for India! All of my deposits are in and my trip is paid in full. I leave in just SEVEN DAYS! (honestly, I cannot believe that) I am so excited for this trip and my team and I have all connected and are preparing everything that we need. I want to thank everyone for your support and for your continued support. Though the fundraising is over, the journey is just beginning! Please continue to pray for me and my team as we travel and work in India. I will post updates during the trip as I can but may refrain at certain points in order to be able to focus on what I am doing and not be focused on social media. As always, for any details or information please feel free to message me!
Thank you! |