New year... new location!

Well, a week from tomorrow, I'm leaving for South America, and I'm not coming back to the US until August.

Yep.

This plan has been brewing for a long time. Basically, I've wanted to go back to Peru since I left in August 2010. Plus, my best friend moved to Ecuador last January, and I definitely can't last more than a year without seeing her, so I HAVE to go to Ecuador, too. Really, I am doing exactly what I planned to do after graduation:

1. live at home -- did it
2. make some money -- okay, that part hasn't really worked out as well as I planned... I made more money working at Bible camp for two months than I made in four months as a substitute teacher, but I still made some money.
3. apply to grad school -- done
4. Spend January through July in Ecuador and Peru -- doing it!

I'm living the dream, baby!

However, a week before departure, the dream is proving to be slightly scarier than I expected. Although I've been scheming things for a long time, I made the decision to go rather quickly. After Mandy searched for jobs in Quito for me all fall and suggested other opportunities for me (that I loosely agreed to and usually backed out of), she told me, "Abby, I talked with Merge Ministries and they say you can help me lead the team and be a translator in January. Do you still want to do that?"
To which I replied, "Yeah! I do really want to do it. Just let me talk it over with my parents."
"Okay, well just tell me as soon as you can because I need to tell Merge whether they need to find someone else or not."
"Well... I want to do it. Tell them I'll do it. I'm doing it!"

The day after that I talked to my friend Lisa Merritt (director of Inca Link), and the dates of every thing I wanted to do all lined up, which I took as a sign of God's approval. So, five weeks ago, I decided to do it all. I talked to the mission committee at my home church for support, I bought my ticket, I set the plan in motion.

I am very excited to see my BFF Mandy, visit Machu Picchu with my old roomie Valerie, spend time with my friends in Peru, and work with Inca Link again, but six months is a long time! Moreover, I am leaving with no idea what I'll return to. Hopefully grad school, but where??? I applied to seven schools in six states. I could end up at any one of them, or none of them.

Being at home would not erase the question mark looming ahead, so onward I go, having faith that God will guide me, work through me, and clear a path before me.