Tag what??

I have had the most AMAZING weekend!!

Last Thursday night mum and I bought my snow boots and winter puffer jacket, and that was AWESOME! While we were at the shops we casually entered a competition to win 2 Tag Heuer Watches - a matching set, of ladies and men's watches. 

I didn't really think much of it, but I put my name in the draw and said a little prayer. God knows I haven't been able to work at all since April 2012, so he knows my financial position at the moment!! 

ANYWAY! On Friday I got the phone call! 

I JUST WON TWO TAG HEUER WATCHES TO THE VALUE OF $4500!!!!! 

So yeah, they are going straight on eBay!! I am amazed at how God supplies for me! At the moment I have $12 in my bank account. I have no way to pay for flights, visas and supplies for my trip. But now I have won these watches, I can sell them and use the money to fund my year in Denmark! I would never have thought that God would fund my year with two watches!!!! 

I am taking this as another confirmation that Gods hand is in this. I really do believe that this trip is exactly what God wants me to do, and I cannot wait to arrive!!!

I have been in contact with the school in Denmark, and have received a comprehensive job description. It looks absolutely phenomenal and completely my type of thing! I am losing my mind with the excitement and anticipation of getting ready to go! 

Visa Pleaser!!

The past week has been super busy!!! I have a big assessment due in 2 days, and I have been trying to get that done while trying to get other important things going!!!

On wednesday Mum and I had a YOLO moment and spent the afternoon getting my Visa Application process started. It was pretty exciting signing papers and making things official, but things got way less exciting when we started the Biometrics! I spent literally an entire hour trying to have my finger prints taken! It was a very stressful hour. After so much frustration and no real luck we had to just agree to send in the poor quality prints. This can be a major issue for my visa, and might delay me a lot.

These are some of the photos mum took! I had to put a lot of pressure on the machine with my fingers to get it to work!

The Danish Immigration Office will only accept a high quality finger print so I may need to get my prints retaken when I get to Denmark! I am just a tad concerned about my Visa! I would appreciate some prayers!!! I need to have a visa to board my flight on the 29th! So, I now have 78 days to complete my Visa! I am putting it in Gods hands, because this process usually takes about 3 months to complete, and I am on a TIGHT schedule!! It's up to Him now!

I have been doing a massive amount of shopping around and researching what I will actually need to buy here in Australia before I head into a FREEZING Danish winter! Everyone has been ridiculously helpful (Especially the staff at Kathmandu ;) I had an absolute Darling young gentleman who was particularly nice to deal with!!) and after many hours instore I finally picked the jacket and boots I am going to take with me to Denmark!!! WOOHOO!! Buying the jacket was hugely exciting and made the whole trip feel SOO much more real!! I am starting to really be able to picture myself in Denmark!!! I am so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It just got real!

It never gets real until you buy the ticket.

It just got real.

I have been on a long journey over the last 18 months; sometimes dramatic and sometimes mind-numbingly boring. Three months ago, I got to the point where I was looking for something, anything, to make me feel alive again. It came to me in the form of a facebook message from my dad who was at a youth congress in Africa. My dad works as a youth director for my church and was travelling with a group of youth in SA. I was pretty jealous.

Dad suggested that I do some volunteer in Europe, at a school in Denmark.

DENMARK!!!!?!!!!..... Awesome!!!

I straight away went online to look at the volunteer positions that were available. And I found one; nicely nestled in between the hectic ones going to Oman and Uganda. Assistant dean position at Vejlefjordskolen, Denmark.


I started feeding dad all of the details about the job. He started back peddling as fast as he could. Apparently he wasn't as serious as I was! Well, what did he expect?!

And from that moment on (almost), I was a girl on a mission.

When Dad got home from Africa, I discussed my big dreams with my parents. They asked questions like, "Can you physically do it?" "It's a serious move away from your family," and "What will you do if you get over there and it turns to custard?" All good and sometimes frightening questions!

After some discussion my mum suggested that I throw out a fleece, like Gideon did in the Bible.
What would my fleece be?
"Well, why don't you make the first fleece passing the medical?" I know that doesn't sound like much, but it really was. After 18 months of gradually recovering from complications from a medical procedure gone wrong, this was a genuine concern and seemed insurmountable.

We all agreed that passing the medical would be a good fleece.

Mum said that if I wanted to be really sure, then I could always put out a second fleece; again, just like Gideon. If my second fleece passed, I would know that it was a green light from God. It would be all over.

Dad said, "How about we get through the medical first hey?"

So we decided to do that.

Fleece number one.

I made appointments to see two different doctors that know me well. (I wanted two so that there would be no doubt!)

Doctor No.1 had been dealing with all of my complications since last year, and he had been pretty concerned about me. I told him about what I was considering doing. Over the course of our conversation, his stance moved from "I can't really tell you what to do as a doctor" to "You've gotta go! It'll be awesome!"

Mind blown!

Could this be the passing of the fleece?

Doctor No.2 - I turned up to get my medical done and when I told him which country I was applying to go to and what I needed the medical for, his response was "I used to know the Ambassador! Denmark is a wonderful place! Don't be afraid; you are going to love it!" The medical was not only passed, but bulk billed.

MIND BLOWN!!!

Well looks like the first fleece passed the test!

I sent in my application.

Life settled back into a familar routine, I carried on with my study and my attention shifted to other things.

Here comes the amazing part.

Fleece number two.

I can't really talk publically about how amazingly things happened, but let's just say...

The second fleece passed the test!

I came home and told mum about what had happened.

"Well, it looks like you're going to Denmark."

In addition to this, I cannot tell you the number of comments, situations and even illustrations from the pulpit (I kid you not, mid sermon - "You should do something crazy, like, live in Denmark for a year") that have reinforced and motivated the feeling that I had to go. Another example of this was an unsolicited special blessing prayed over me by a Pastor friend - that "God would bless me in the hallways of wherever I was going to next." Truly amazing! (Thanks Lili!)

And all this without anyone outside of my family knowing I was considering volunteering.

Despite these seemingly clear signs, I have gone through major times of doubt, when things in my life were going so well, so comfortably. I questioned whether I should really go or if I should stay. There were weeks when I wanted to pull out of the whole thing.

Literally last weekend I told one of my friends that I was 95% certain I was not going to go.

The next morning I woke up and prayed "God, tell me what is going on in my life! Can you just give me something to go off here! And make it really clear what I am meant to be doing!! Seriously!! Argh!" I know. How rude.

Nek Minut.

My phone went off. The familar sound of my email notification rang in my ears.

I opened it up and BAM. Congrats, you got the job.

Clear enough? Guess so. Yep, that pretty well does it.

Two days later (after recovering from organ shut down from severe panic) my ticket was booked and paid for.

Sydney - Dubai - Copenhagen

So here I am! Madly trying to finish my passport to mission!

First things first. Shopping!!!!

I am now the proud owner of one high tech (hot pink!) fleece jacket, a pair of super cool Danish winter approved pants, some thermals and an awesome pink universal power adaptor from Forever New. Things are looking good! :)

I am taking my first steps to what will be one of the first major highlights of my adult life and I couldn't be more excited and more trusting in God's leading than I am right now. (Actually, pretty sure I might be a tad more excited when I board the plane!)

This blog will follow my faith journey into Scandinavia; the adventures, the homesickness, the amazing God moments, the people I meet, the food I eat (or don't eat!) and the places I will go to!
I hope that reading my story will inspire you as much as it does me!

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth; 

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim

Because it was grassy and wanted wear,

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day! 

Yet knowing how way leads on to way

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference. 

Robert Frost