(Written by: Levi Sandy)

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (New International Version)

My excitement is building as the trip gets nearer. There is just less than three weeks left until we leave for the Czech Republic and we’re working on some last minor details. Somehow though, it seems that it has crept up on me and all of a sudden. It’s here! Part of that feeling is probably due to the various health problems we’ve dealt with recently or thoughts of Thanksgiving and Christmas, but that doesn’t change the feeling that I don’t feel fully ready.

From what I’ve heard from the people who went during this past summer, I don’t expect that I ever will feel completely prepared to step out the door with my family and fly off to a land far from home, where I don’t know anybody, the food is different, I can’t speak the native language, and we help put on an English camp where we are the teachers. What I do know though, is that God has a plan for me in all of this.

Recently, I had the opportunity to go door to door with part of our youth group from church and operate a food drive. At the same time, we attempted to share the Gospel and although that didn’t work out like we wanted, we did get to pray with several people. But before we started, I recall feeling very excited and yet mildly apprehensive – a very similar feeling to the way I feel now.

Thankfully, I don’t need to feel ready to do God’s will. He has already given me everything I need: The Bible and the Holy Spirit in me. The spirit of the One who made the universe and holds it together, dwells inside of me. It doesn’t matter if I feel ready because God has everything under control.

Prayer Requests

  • Health for the Sandy Family as we prepare for this trip.
  • Wisdom as we work with the Czech team to plan the remaining details.
  • Students with open hearts to attend the camp and English club.