GEORGIA: 3 days in!

Hello everyone!!

I can hardly believe it, but I’m here in Georgia on the Adventures in Missions base! My family dropped me off on their campus on Wednesday evening of the 2nd of September. It was so, so hard to say goodbye to them, but I know it’s truly a “see you later,” and that’s what I’m holding on to. Today is my third day here already!

It feels like it’s been sooo much longer than 3 days.

We’ve been sleeping in our tents, using porta potties, taking bucket showers, and enjoying that nice Georgia weather. We’ve been getting to know our teams and receiving a taste of all the spiritual knowledge, growth, and training that is to come!

Already I can see just how much this time will change me. We’re being forced to look past our physical circumstances and to find our joy and comfort in the Lord. Due to Covid, our squad is initially split into two “cohorts” for the first fourteen days, which is tough. My team and the boys team are on one cohort and the rest of the girls are on the other cohort. Even though it’s really sad, I’m trusting in the Lord to use this period of separation to grow us all in our own unique ways, and that when we come together as a whole, it will be a glorious time of unity.

Today we had our first Sabbath time and it was wonderful! Just getting to spend an extended period of time in self-reflection together with the Lord is so refreshing. I’m truly so excited and hungry for everything that the coming months will hold. It’s going to be so good.

The strength of my desire to be here even though it seems like something I’d run from (in so many ways) is only confirmation that I’m supposed to be here. Today I felt like the Lord was saying to me that this time is His gift to me. Life simplified, and yet so challenging and stretching. Him inviting me to step into “scary” and the voluntary choice to do uncomfortable things.

I feel convicted that over the last year I’d gotten too comfortable in my faith. I knew I should be putting my faith into action, and that it was time to take things further, that I needed to go deeper. Yet, my flesh struggled (and continues to struggle) against doing the terribly uncomfortable and scary things that that requires of me. I’m desperately praying that the Lord would give me the courage to take that jump. I feel that He’s already working on my heart since being here and I’m SO expectant for everything to come.

With that being said, would you pray about supporting me? You can donate through the link on my blog or through Venmo at @shananz! I still need to raise $2,110 by October 15th in order to stay here, with my next goal after that being $12,000 by November 15th! Thank you so, so much to all who have donated already! Thanks to your help and God’s provision, I’ve made it this far! I’m confident that if the Lord’s gotten me this far, He won’t abandon me now! 

Please be praying for me during this time! God’s going to do amazing things and I’m thrilled to be here for it!!