Whew! It has been a busy semester...as evidenced by my lack of updates! I am happy to report that my thesis is now completed, my oral defense is finished and I’m working on getting my research ready for publication! For those of you who don’t know, this is a HUGE blessing because the deadline to have all the thesis stuff turned in (and the date that I expected to be busy until) is this coming Wednesday...I was finished with everything a good two and a half weeks early!!! I got to take the whole week of Thanksgiving off and celebrate with my family, including our newly extended family--my brother married an amazing young lady the day after Thanksgiving! We had relatives from all over the place, it seems, come down for the wedding and it was just a wonderful time! I got to spend good quality time with family and friends that I don’t usually get to see this time of year--all a month before I leave! God is so good in the way He orchestrates the timing of events!!!
In other news, I will have all of my support money for Dubai raised by the end of this month! This means that when I fly out on December 29th, I will not have to worry about raising any additional funds or keep track of monthly pledge donations still needing to be fulfilled! Until that time, I’ll be busy with packing (and trying not to be nervous about the 21 hour international flight...by myself!), spending as much time as possible with friends and family, and eagerly preparing (mentally, physically, and spiritually) for the next six months and the many adventures to come! Thanks for all your prayers!
