Back last June, I had the incredible idea that I would make it through the entire Bible in a summer. Didn’t happen. I’m still in Ezekiel. I’ve been stuck in Ezekiel for at least 2 months. It’s a long book. It’s a confusing book. It’s not one of those books that make you feel good. It’s not a book that you can read in one sitting without losing your mind (at least in my case… you might be better than I). HOWEVER, I have seen some incredible truths pour out from Ezekiel. Last night, it came in this form: (more…)
Archive for April, 2012
God’s Plan is Bigger Than Me.
Posted in Uncategorized on April 30, 2012| 2 Comments »
Quick Update…
Posted in Uncategorized on April 18, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Officially over halfway to my fundraising goal. And when I say that, I mean in the past week and a half that halfway point has been obliterated. God is good. My sponsors are faithful. 🙂
To the Moon & Back
Posted in Uncategorized on April 16, 2012| Leave a Comment »
This weekend I had the fortune to escape the real world, with 5 amazing friends, all starting with a 3 am bus to the Windy City. For you math and geography whiz’s out there, that put our arrival time at 6 am. For all you Emily Bostrom whiz’s out there… you know that any amount of awake-ness before 9 am puts me in a slight comatose. Anyway, with even more fortune I got to see a great friend, and my wonderful big brother. And then, stronger than even the strong winds today, it hit me: I am going to miss all of this so much. Walking to the bus stop to get back to Madison this morning (where my brother was also meeting us to say goodbye), I suddenly thought, “What if this is the last time I see my brother before I go to Africa?” To be somewhat embarrassingly vulnerable, I started crying just thinking about it… walking down the street in my bright, teal jacket, a few paces in front of my group of friends who were just carrying on taking in the city (thankfully). Everything became so inescapably real to me in that moment. I am going to Africa. I am not going to see the people I am so fortunate of sharing my life with for years on a regular basis. I know that probably sounds stupid. A lot of you have probably read my support letter or this blog, seen me smile talking about it, plan my life around going… but until today it was honestly somewhat a fairytale to me. It wasn’t something that was going to happen, it was more just something I talked about.
Don’t misread this: I am overjoyed, over-excited, over-impatient (I make up words… it’s fine) to go! My heartstrings have been pulling me towards Africa since the beginning of high school. I’m following an amazing God! I’m so stoked to meet and serve the team of incredible people I’ll be serving with 🙂
But I want everyone who has had the thought, “Emily is going to go to Africa and never come back” to know that while I can’t deny for certain that won’t happen (well God willing, I’ll be back in December for a while 😉 ) , leaving all the people I love will be the hardest thing I’ll ever do. And while I’ll be spending my time 8,577 miles from my school & my friends, 8,487 miles from my brother, 8,156 miles from my sister & brother-in-law & niece, and 7,814 miles from my parents… in addition to countless miles from all those others who have impacted my life…
I want you to know I’ll still love you to the moon and back, which is 469,137 miles farther than any of those.
Yes, I’ve officially reached cheese-ball status. Deal with it.
92 days.
Posted in Uncategorized on April 6, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Yes. That’s right. Only 92 more days. WOW. I can’t even…. Wow.
I am still feeling so blessed by God’s faithfulness. I’m still so excited to go. I still stand awestruck by the amount of support I’ve received. But right now, I’m at a bit of a standstill with fundraising. I want to come to you tonight with raw honesty. Right now, I’m feeling a little discouraged. As expected, responses from letters have slowed down a considerable amount since I sent out the letters. Like I said, that was expected. I’ve been blessed with almost half of the cost being funded by support of family and friends (I’m just $14 shy of $4,400… & PRAISE THE LORD FOR THAT). But the weight of 92 days is really dawning on me. That’s not a lot of time.
So I’m asking for prayer. Lots of prayer. I know that my God can will come through. He’s so much bigger than my fears and worries. I’m asking for prayer of God’s faithfulness. I’m asking for prayer for peace in my heart while going through this. I’m asking for prayer for people to give if they’re able. I’m asking for prayer for the rest of my team as they’re raising support.
Also, I’m asking for ideas. I know I have a group of creative friends and family, many of whom have been in situations like this before. If you have an idea for raising money… PLEASE let me know! I am open to suggestions!
Finally, thank you for just being there for me. Even when I feel low, I know I’m surrounded by a group of people who genuinely love me and care about me- and that does more than any amount of money ever could. I’m so blessed by you and how you’ve witnessed in my life. You might read that and think, OK I don’t know you, I don’t talk to you… but I know if you’ve gotten to this post, you’re a part of my story 🙂
Also, here’s one of my favorite songs right now, should you need a little music in your life:
lovefromafrica 