Wherever, Whenever!

If you know me, you know I love to travel. You know I enjoy seeing new cultures, tasting new flavors, and smelling new smells. To me it's not just seeing a new culture but experiencing it as well. It's about getting to know the people - regardless of our possible language barriers.

This blog will hopefully help me tell you about what's going on in my life, and more then just a Facebook status update's worth. My friend once wrote me an email titled, "Where is Waldo? I mean, where is Crystal?" This will hopefully also help other's know where I'm located at the current moment since we all know I move around a lot! (Is that an understatement??)

In the Spring of 2012 I'll be taking a new journey. I will be going to Germany for 10 days and London for 4 months, traveling with Operation Mobilization. While I'm there I'll be doing street ministries while taking pictures and writing about the experiences for OM. I've done a lot of traveling and have been on a few mission trips. Usually, however, they have only lasted a few weeks - not a few months.

I'm excited about this new opportunity. I have a lot of fundraising to do, but I know God will provide. Please pray for me as this journey continues on during the fundraising, time there, and the time of return to my home in California. As excited as I am, let me be honest. I am nervous. While I am nervous, it's a good kind of nervous. It's like the nervousness I felt when I found out I'd be going to FWBBC.

This experience will be different then any other that I've had in the past. I hope you all join me as I start down this road whether it be through reading this blog, checking out my pictures, praying, or financially supporting me. This is an exciting time for me and I would love to have you apart of whatever God brings my way.

As I start to prepare for London I think of the future. I can't help but wonder at times, "I wonder what God has for my future." I don't know what He has planned. I don't know if it includes being a full-time overseas missionary, or being a missionary here in my local community in California while taking the occasional short-term trip overseas. Maybe he'll just have me move to another state. I don't know if it will one day include being a wife and a mother. I don't know what type of job He'll one day bless me with. I don't know what stories God will give me to tell, or the people He'll have me one day cross paths with.

Basically: I don't know where God will lead. I don't know what is in store for my life. What I do know is that God loves me and He's going to guide me with every step. What I do know: Where He leads, I will follow...Whenever, wherever!! Life will have it's ups and downs and God will never let me go. God has created me to be who I am. He knows my gifts, talents, passion, weaknesses, and strengths. Knowing who I am as a person as a whole, He's going to use those talents and gifts and help me strengthen where I am weak.

Jeremiah 29:11 (New International Version)

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

As I end my first blog entry, I hope you hop on this ride and become a continuos reader. This is going to be an exciting ride to be on. Thank you for your prayers and support!

Crystal - The Travelin' Chick