I'm going to...

CHINA!!!

That's right! China. Back in November, when we were in Nashville for a weekend for Shaohannah's Hope (see earlier post), I felt like I was being called to go on their mission trip to China. For a while, I had been feeling like there was something I was supposed to be doing for the Lord, but I just didn't know what it was. During the weekend in Nashville, they talked a bit about the trip to China that a group of 20-some people took earlier in 2008. As they were talking about this, I really felt like I was supposed to go on their next one. I prayed about it all that weekend, and am still praying about it.

I mentioned this to my parents after we got home. After that, we kept an eye on the Show Hope website for any information on the mission trip. Around February 17th or 18th, Rianne and I applied for the trip. The deadline was March 10th, so we knew that we had a while to wait until we found out if we were going. That month of waiting was full of LOTS of prayer, and me being very anxious!

On Wednesday night, I was checking my e-mail just like any other night, not expecting anything special. I had a few new e-mails but one stuck out to me. The sender was Emily Richards, who is Steven Curtis Chapman's daughter. That fact didn't really stick out to me, yet I still opened the e-mail. I knew it was a God thing that I did, because I never open e-mails with a sender that I don't recognize. So I open the e-mail, and lo and behold! I'M ACCEPTED!! I was so happy I actually squeeked and jumped out of my seat (very unlike me)! I had to read the e-mail a few times before it really sunk in. The next thing I did was thank God, then went running to my mom and told her what just happened. She was so happy! Then my dad came down and I told him...also really happy!! Rianne was at driver's ed while this happened, so I checked her e-mail to see if she was also accepted. She was!! Happiness all around! My mom told her when she went to pick her up.

Rianne and I will leave on August 1st and get back on the 15th. I don't think it has completely sunk in for me yet that we're going to go to China. While we're there, we'll be going to orphanages, focusing on Maria's Big House of Hope. You can read more about that here: http://members.shaohannahshope.org/site/PageServer?pagename=giv_luoyang I'm so thrilled that God has given us this opportunity to serve Him. I pray that He will use us to the best of our abilities to further the kingdom of God. Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare to go to China to serve the Lord.

Showing hope -
~Katie~