Going to Australia has always been a dream of mine. In middle school I planned a hypothetical trip through Australia and my junior year of high school I applied for a student exchange program in hopes of going there (obviously I did not get it). After my first year of college, I applied to a study abroad program through my school and anxiously awaited the response (on if I had been accepted or not) all summer. The answer came in mid October; I had been accepted! Come February 2009 my journey would begin. My dream was finally coming true.
God has really blessed me in the area of friends and family. I am spending as much time as possible with them before I leave. I will miss them so much, however, I am excited for the opportunity to form new friendships.
Just yesterday, I found out that I and one other ASC student will be staying with a Greek family while in Australia. Coincidentally, this family happens to be the same family a friend of mine stayed with when she was there a few years ago. They live about a 30-minute bus ride from the school. This was an answer to prayer. There were two options available for housing: staying with a host family, or staying in student housing. I hoped and prayed that I would be with a family and to be placed with a family one of my friend knows is an added blessing.
I also found out yesterday my assignment for the required service project. They placed me with Hillsong Impact Kids, a ministry connected with Hillsong Church. When I found out, I jumped around the house screaming with glee! I kept double-checking the e-mail to make sure it was not a dream. This was another answer to prayer. Working with kids was my first choice for service ministry, but there were no guarantees that that's where I would be placed. Not only was I placed in a kids ministry, but one connected with Hillsong church (somewhere I was looking forward to visiting anyway)....better than I could have dreamed!
