STOOOKED!!!!

Tonight, Alisa and Libbie and I will pack up my car, leave Redding, and head down to Oakhurst (my hometown by Yosemite) for the remaining two days before our trip! Then my mom will drive us to the SF airport on Tuesday where we'll meet up with Pakou, Katie, and Cassie...
I am stoked! It all seems so surreal as I sit here in my cozy Shasta Creek apartment... but this morning, reality is creeping closer in, and it surprises me that I'm meeting it with more joy and excitement than stark-raving-mad fear! (amazing how God can change your heart over the course of time). Sure...there are a few frightening things...and a few things left to do (like... PACK!!! -mom knows, I hate packing-), but overall, it's like the clicking of a roller-coaster car's safety restraint... coming down agonizingly slow but once it's finally in place, you know it's all for the better. Then what can you do but be stoked?! (unless you have a phobia of roller-coasters...you probably have no idea what I'm talking about and are thinking, "Jenna, you're nuts--GET OFF THE ROLLER COASTER!!!) haha, but I like roller coasters, and this is my analogy, so just go with it. ;). Anyway, I can't believe it's actually being set into motion tonight...

But for all the support we've gotten from those here in Redding, oh my gosh, THANK YOU! Simpson as a whole, of course, but Simpson Central and the Student Development office, Spiritual Formation, Student Outreach, Student Activities, Student Missions, the ever-encouraging faculty and staff, Rich, Donna, Joe, Grethe, the RD's, the Carters, Lorene, Emily, and on and on the list goes... Also, the Redding Community that we are each a part of--the Stirring, Yaks, the Hoffman household, Little Country Church, Risen King, Castle Craggs, Starbucks (we've spent a lot of bonding time there), even the lady in line at Michael's... And our friends and mentors within many of these places... Nate, Erica, Derrick, Becky, Wendy, Sarah, Kandice, Jamie, Josh, Kristena, Meghan--our LIFE GROUPS (here's a shout out!)... To you ALL, we are so grateful. And I'm only speaking for about half of our team! Pakou's in Merced, Katie's in New Jersey, Cassie was in Sac. and is in Georgia right now...I know they have had encouragement and prayer from supporters there as well.

SO. When I say I am "stoked," I mean it! Because there's nothing quite as "stoking" to a fire as heaps of supporting coal being thrown onto it. Again, my analogy. You may have a phobia of a certain element in it... but you get the picture.

Now, I need to stop delaying the inevitable for today.
Here's to packing! (Woo hoo...)


Blessings,

Jenna