By Alicia Jones
I've watched friends say goodbye to their friends and family and move to another country. I've listened to friends share the stories of moving far from home. Strangely, yet with peace, it is my time to say goodbye and to move far from here. I look forward to life among the Roma and the adventure ahead.
God has been very gracious to me, blessing me with a season of calm before my journey to Ukraine begins. I've had several weeks to spend quality time with beloved friends and family. I was even able to go to the beach with my family, only my eldest brother being absent.
These blessings, great as they may be, pale in comparison with the treasure I have in Christ. As I pack my bags and prepare to leave in less than a week my heart cries one thing, "God please send your Presence with us!" I remember Moses saying to God in the 33rd chapter of Exodus, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here." I cannot bear the thought of a journey like the one before me, with so many uncertainties, without the Presence and Power of the God of the Universe leading and guiding me along the way. Yet, when I think about going, as He leads, to a land and a people so different from everything I've known I get giddy with excitement. My heartbeats faster and my step gets quicker. Let the adventure with a great and awesome God begin!