One more week

One week. In one week from today, I will be on a plane headed to Peru for 6 months. 26 weeks. 183 days. Wut.
     It hasn't really hit me. Yeah, I'm going to Peru, but I've been going to Peru for the last 6 months. 6 months ago I was in Peru! Things look different, but God said Peru and that's all I really need to know.
     I've been reading through Exodus and God has reminded me so much of His character these past few months. God delivering His people out of Egypt and Moses giving Him every reason why he's unequipped to be the one to lead that. Exodus 3:12, "But I will be with you," said God. 3:14, "I AM WHO I AM." 3:17, "I promise that I will bring you up out of your affliction..." God covers all of His doubts. Moses wasn't adequate to lead, but God equipped him.
     I've ran into my own 10 plagues during this preparation period leading up to the trip. From parents saying "if," to doctors saying "no," I've had to trust in what God told me and have the faith that was content if He changed His mind.
     While in Peru, I started reading the book of Daniel. Daniel was a young, handsome, wise, intelligent and teachable man (Daniel 1:4) who stood up for what he believed in (1:8) and had faith in God (2:16). Daniel was humble (2:20-23), sacrificial (2:24), and gave all glory to God (2:27). Talk about husband material. Anyways, God used the book of Daniel back in July to prepare me for what I was getting myself into. I know God said January, but did I believe He'd get me there?

     I talked at TPX, my home church's youth ministry, about the fiery furnace and all that stuck out to me in that story was Daniel 3:17-18. Shad, Mesh, and Ben were being told by the king if they didn't deny their God and bow down and worship some golden figurine than they were going to be burned alive.
     Their response was, through a yawn while cleaning the dirt from under their fingernails was, "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, your majesty. But even if he doesn't, we want to make it clear to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up."
     I've read these words before, but I know how this story turned out for them. I know Shad, Mesh, and Ben's fate on the other side of those flames, I knew what reaped from their faithfulness. But they didn't! They didn't know if they were going to live through that! Like, think about it, they should have died or if they lived, they'd had lived in mockery because of it. God is healer, but those kind of burns would've taken time, brother.
     I've been living in Daniel 3:15-18 for the past few months. I've had my king Nebuchadnezzars tell me no and ask "who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?" and I've astoundingly had the faithfulness to say, "My God is able to save me, but even if He doesn't I still believe He's the only one worth serving."
     God does weird stuff and there's still a ton of things I'm worried about (like where am I going to watch the Super Bowl? There's so much hockey left and baseball hasn't even started!) but who cares, because God will be there with me just like He was with Moses.

In one week, Courtney Buttress and I will land in Lima and fly out to Pacasmayo to spend about 3-4 weeks in the orphanage, help our friend with her adoption and get ready for school. In March I'll start my second semester of my junior year at a university in Lima with students from all across the world. The rest, who knows.
     Exodus 33, God tells Moses it's time to move, to leave the dessert and Moses says, "as long as your presence comes with me, I'll be there." That's where I'm kind of at.