2 weeks!

Well, I think the last 48 hours have been about as crazy as any 48 hours can be...

The first step was leaving Fargo. As excited as I am to hop on that plane to Ecuador, you wouldn't think it would be THAT unbelievably difficult to leave Fargo, but it was. And that's because for me, Fargo isn't just a place. It's where I chose to go when I left home; where I grew, changed, and learned SO much. It's where I've met some of the absolute best people in the whole world. It's where I've turned into the person I am today. For those of you Bison out there, know that every single one of you made an impact on me, whether big or small, and I'll never forget it. Like I said before, I know it's time for me to leave, but Fargo will be a part of me forever.

So after one last crazy game day with my favorite Fargo people (how 'bout them Bison?!) it was time to head home to Grand Forks to prepare for church the next morning. Neither Renae or I love public speaking, so we were a bit nervous to say the least, but somehow we managed to get up in front of the church to share the story of the trip and our hearts behind it. I always joke that I black out when I talk in front of a big group of people because I get so nervous, but for some reason yesterday was different. I LOVED being up there. I felt so lucky that everyone was willing to listen and that I got to share my dreams with them. I would also like to point out that my joke got more laughs than Renae's, hehe ;) The response was wonderful as well. We were touched by so many people, and received another $800 in donations. I'm so thankful to be part of such a supportive church family. Thank you, University Lutheran!

As usual, the timing was perfect, and the huge amount of love and support we got from everyone at church boosted us up, and served as a reminder that as hard as it was to leave our friends the day before, we are doing it for a reason. We are leaving things behind to seek more. We are giving up some of our blessings for a year in the hopes that we can bless someone else. And so, I am left feeling thankful that I have such awesome people in my life that I get to cry and be sad when it's time to leave. Because what would it mean if I could leave the place I'd spent 4 years of my life without shedding a tear or looking back? I feel lucky, and loved, and so excited to spend 2 weeks at home with my family, and then to FINALLY step foot on that plane. Exactly 2 weeks from today and the adventure will officially begin! Woop!!!

All that's left for preparation is final packing and details, so I don't think we'll have more news 'til we're down there. I'm guessing our next post will be from Ecuador :/ See you on the other side!

Love, Jenna

A little bit closer now

25 days are all we have left before saying goodbyes and stepping into a completely different world. It hasn't fully set in yet, and probably won’t until we deplane in Quito. We have been busy the last few weeks working, planning, and spending as much time as possible with everyone we will miss greatly. Also, we've been trying to tackle gear lists and packing prep, but it’s a little overwhelming to think about packing for 8 months in a 50 liter bag. I’m sure I’ll be doing it at the last minute, as expected by my parents. Who doesn't appreciate some extra thrill?

 As for fundraising, we have come so close to our goal in the last month. On top of a great turn-out at the Mound sale, I got some unexpected, but amazing, news from Jenna last week. At the beginning of the summer we spoke with Pastor Tom from Jenna’s church in Grand Forks, University Lutheran Church, and told him about our plans for the year. He was very encouraging of our mission. Pastor Tom wanted to see if the church could help, so he sought out support from the church’s endowment fund. Jenna called me as soon as she heard: the church did decide to give us a very generous donation! On top of that, Pastor Tom explained how the members are brainstorming other ways they stay involved from back in the states while we are gone. News of the donation and the will to help has been the biggest blessing, and surprise. With this extra help from the church, we have raised a total of $7,600!! (We are getting so close to our goal of $10,000!) I cannot believe it. Also, creating another large piece of the total are the donations from friends and family which Jenna and I continue to receive. THANK YOU! We are shocked from the extent of the generosity and I cannot emphasize how thankful and motivated we are to put everyone’s enthusiasm and support to good use. I hope God has prepared us for the responsibility ahead; we feel privileged to take it all on.

We have one more fundraiser event, a taco lunch, on September 22^nd at Jenna’s church. We will also be giving a short speech about ourselves and our intentions for the trip, so I am excited to see how it goes!

After that, it’s the final countdown to October 6^th. “Ecstatic” doesn’t even cover it. Today I found the perfect quote in a travel magazine: “Destinations can be located on a map, but only found with the soul. Leave expectations behind, and simply be.” This is the approach we are going to take. We can only plan so much; the adventure lies in letting God take us wherever we’re meant to spend the week, introduce us to whoever we’re supposed to swap stories with, and teach us who we are supposed to be through the lessons and experiences we come across along the journey.

Soaking up this anticipation...

Renae

A shout out to Fargo:

Here’s to my last 2 weeks of living in North Dakota. If it wasn’t for my awesome time at NDSU I would have never met all of the genuine and fun-loving people who’ve become my close friends and my support system throughout the years. (And I would not be such a Biology nerd.) Fargo, you have been a great place to create, build, and prepare for this dream and the next steps of life. I’ll see if I can ship some warmer weather back this January when you are subzero and everyone is mad at you.

For real though, thanks for everything. #Bison