Baby Sloths and Travel Blogs.

This week, I became obsessed with two things: baby sloths and travel blogs. These two things could not be less related, but both are equally charming. Baby sloths are quite possibly the cutest things on planet earth, and I desperately want to go work at a sloth orphanage (they exist!). As for the travel blogs, they simply aren't healthy for me. They are highly addictive, day dream inducing, and they make me feel that my life is completely flat and boring right at this moment and that the only solution is to get rid of everything that I own and put just enough what I need to survive in a backpack and buy a plane ticket and drive to the airport, all in one fluid motion. Unfortunately, that is out of the question right now. I am extremely excited for my great adventure coming up in less than 6 months (which is really not that long), but I am not excited for some necessary parts of preparation for it. Such as studying to take the GED test. I am beginning to think that the GED test is no laughing matter, since I checked out a 927 page tome of GED related information from the library, and found out that the test itself takes more that 7 hours to complete. I am also studying drivers ed manuals, with the goal of getting my license before I leave. I could have gotten it last fall, but didn't, because driving made me so nervous that I would forget every single piece of information I had gleaned from drivers ed and drive as much like a maniac as one can when refusing to drive faster than 30 mph. I decided to get over that, though, and just man up and get my darn license. Another thing I am not looking forward to in my near future is earning the remaining $2,000 dollars I will need for my trip. I know I shouldn't be worried; so far everything I've needed I've been blessed with. I think that having faith will be the most difficult part of fund raising. I don't want to complete any of these less-than-enjoyable tasks, but I know that these will make the end results all the more fulfilling. I hope you all had a restful weekend, and thanks for reading and staying up to date with my life. Sorry I don't have any wise of motivational phrases to share with you this week, but I hoped you liked reading this post anyway.  -mads

Me Of Little Faith

Greetings, everyone! I have an excellent update on the progress towards my trip to Morocco: I have acquired a laptop! I knew I would need one in order to keep in touch with friends and family and keep posting here, and so I had been praying that I would have enough money by August to buy one. Amazingly, when a family friend of ours heard about my plans for next year, she donated the computer to my trip; completely free! It is so perfect, and so tiny. It's a DELL mini, and it's basically an adorable travel-sized baby computer. I am so thankful, and also ashamed by my previous lack of faith. I can't believe I doubted if I would have all I need for this trip. If I'm truly meant to go, of course I'll have all that I need. Maybe not an ounce more than I need, but perhaps that's how it should be. In the spirit of having only what I need, I am trying to give away one possession every day for as long as I can. It's challenging!
     On an unrelated note, something funny happened to me today. As some of you know, I help out and occasionally teach Sunday-school for ages 3.5-5 years old at Journey church. This week I was scheduled to teach, and I was going to teach the story of the prodigal son. I was told I would be using props; a robe, a ring, money, and sandals. My mom said I didn't need to bring any of these things from home, because the church would already have them set up in the classroom. I needed these props for the end of the story, when the father welcomes his lost son home and gives him a fancy robe, a beautiful ring, and elaborate sandals. The money was for the beginning of the story, when the foolish son spends all of his inheritance. We got there, and there were indeed props, but not ideal ones. I was given a blue Snuggie, patent leather high heels with bows on the front, an enormous turquoise ring, and yellow monopoly money. I cannot imagine how ridiculous I looked as I told the story, throwing yellow monopoly money into the air while wearing the Snuggie backwards and the heels with my bunchy white socks wrinkling out of the top. If those children got any divine meaning out of that story, it was probably a miracle. Hilariously, the theme of the story was "forgiveness." I hope my Sunday-school children will take the lesson to heart and forgive me for my hideous interpretation of a Bible story. For those of us still in school: I hope all of you had a glorious spring break. hang in there, we've only got a little ways left to go. Work hard and make yourself proud.

When Dreams Turn Into Reality

I don't even know how to begin this post, or to put into words all that I have to say. Previously, I tried begin with something eloquent and wordy, but then hit delete because it turned into a jumble of words and letters and total nonsense to anyone who isn't a mind-reader. I puzzled and pondered on how to write this, but eventually decided I just might as well say it; if all goes according to plan, I will be living and working in Morocco next year. The "how" in this situation is lengthy and a little confusing, but the important details are that an acquaintance lives there with his family, they work at a school, they are Christians, and they could use some help. I'm quite certain that this is meant to be, because everything fell together in the course of around a week. I can hardly believe that I have the opportunity to do something so awesome. If you know me well enough to know that I am currently a junior in high school, you may be doing the math, and wondering "wait a minute, if she is going next year, doesn't that leave her with one year of high school incomplete?" Yes, yes it does. It make me cringe to write this next part, because I know what the usual reaction is to statements like this. The truth is, that in June of this year, I will be a high school dropout. Yikes. I know how that sounds, but I talked to my school counselor, and in April I can take the GED test, and in Montana a high school diploma and a GED have the same status. I've always dreamed of having an opportunity so perfect for me that it couldn't wait for me, and that I would have to erase my ideas about the near future and go. Now that that is actually happening, my mind can't wrap around it. I'd like to say that I'm not scared at all, but that would be a lie. I know that I'm meant to fly across the ocean and work my heart out, but I still cried a few tears when I learned that I will be a dropout. I also need to earn a couple thousand dollars, which doesn't make peace of mind any easier. However, I'm more excited about this coming year than I ever have been about anything in my life, because I know this is what I am meant to do. Anything and everything, the worries or inconveniences, will be worth it in the end. I will write and tell you all about this enormous adventure as I live it. Here we go!