Bittersweet

And so I write this on my last night in my apartment - It's 2AM and I lay in my bed in my empty bedroom. I have spent the past few days packing and saying goodbye to friends, which is still quite surreal. I have been preparing for and talking about this for nearly a year now, so it's strange that it's actually happening. My roommate and I still haven't found a sub-leaser for my bedroom, but through diligent prayer, I know the Lord will provide. Saying goodbye to San Francisco is so bittersweet because while I'm excited to start a new chapter in my life, I have loved this city and hate to go. This wonderful world of the weirdest people, cutest restaurants, and beautiful scenery is a place I hope to live in again. I wish that I had two lives, that I could continue to live here and maintain the relationships I've built so far AND be in Bahrain. However, I also know that something even better is awaiting me: relationships with Muslims who want to know Jesus.

I have a number of anxieties about the coming weeks, the most immediate of which regards my living situation during training. I found out the other day that I will be staying with a young Iraqi widow and her 5 year-old son in their apartment. This woman's husband was killed during the recent war, so she and her sister are here with refugee status. This arrangement is very exciting for a number of reasons: I will get to work on my Arabic, I will get to understand the culture a bit more, but most importantly I will get to know a Muslim woman. Along with excitement, though, comes nervousness. I have never been someone's live-in guest for so long, and I don't know what she's expecting, but I do know this could be a very wonderful thing for the both of us.

A very specific prayer request: Some of you may know this, but others of you may not: I am an extremely picky eater with an intense phobia of trying new foods. As you can imagine, this could potentially present huge problems in a place where there aren't things like quesadillas or spaghetti . My team is aware of it (and let me join them anyways!), but as this trip nears, I get more and more anxious about it. I don't know what the solution is or even what to pray for about it, but it causes me great anxiety because of the implications it will have socially.

In just 34 hours I will be at Missionary Training!