Eight Years Ago...

I went to the olympics. As a child I dreamed of going to the olympics as a gymnast. Obviously that wasn't really in the plans for me since I wasn't 4 ft 10 in and 80 lbs. But still, the olympics always had a special place in my heart. I get excited when the time for the olympics comes around and I still get a little teary eyed when the torch is lit or someone receives a medal. So, when the opportunity came along for me to go to the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002, I was more than ready and excited. As a junior in college, I hopped on a plane for the first time since I was little with 14 other random people to serve with a group called More than Gold. While we were there, we served as Olympic volunteers. As I look back, it was a turning point in my life. Before then, I had never really traveled much outside of South Carolina and didn't really desire to go anywhere else. One trip on a plane to Salt Lake City and all that changed when the travel bug bit me and bit me hard. I think that trip was the first time that I really had the courage to take a risk and go somewhere God was calling me to go. It was stepping into the unknown and being okay with that. It was the step that would ultimately lead me down the journey that God has me on now. A short trip to Salt Lake City turned into what will be 8 summers traveling on the road with camp and events in 18 states. It turned into trips to Uganda, the Philippines, Haiti and Kenya. It turned into vacations of driving from Seattle to San Diego. It took me to places where I met my husband and some of my best friends. That one step, that seemed like a brief trip to the olympics at the time, became the first step in a journey that has been more exciting than I could have ever imagined. So each time the olympics roll around again like they did tonight, I get that warm and fuzzy feeling all over again. It reminds me of how far God has taken me in the past 8 years and makes me excited about what He must have ahead. Enjoy the games! I'll post about Kenya and Compassion over this next week.