Hey friends! It’s been a while!

In all honesty, writing blog posts is a lot more difficult than I anticipated. In the beginning, I was super eager to have a small outlet to share my heart for the Lord and communicate with some dear friends what He’s doing in my life. I even had a whole list of ideas that I wanted to write about. Funny enough, I thought I’d want to blog so much that I would have to refrain from posting so often:) Now it's been six months since my first blog post. 

I was drowning in my own pressure and expectations of the kind of world racer I wanted to be... actually... the world racer that I saw other people being on social media and through their own blogs. I wanted to write these really inspirational blogs with exquisite words and big realizations about God that would touch the hearts of other people. Yet in laziness and fear of vulnerability, I wasn’t actively asking the Lord for help. I just wanted the words to fall in my lap. I sat down with my arms crossed waiting for the Lord to give me wisdom to share. I waited but I wasn’t seeking. 

It scares me to know that I already have expectations of this upcoming year that are causing destruction. They snuck up on me - surrendering these expectations starts now. 

so blog posts are now coming at you at least once a month so I hope you’re ready:)

“So Layna, what’s been going on these past few months?”

Haha here's a few updates, prayers, things that bring me joy, and BIG SURPRISES::

Y’ALL!l We are on the right track to being fully funded by September!! My goodness gracious I am so thankful for each and every one of you who’ve chosen to take part in this journey. This is huge and I would not be able to do this with you. So thank you thank you thank you!! 

I'm developing a deep love for plants. I already love that the Lord reveals His character through nature. I just think he’s so creative in how He can use His own creations to give us a deeper understanding of him. I love that every little thing that He put on earth not only has a purpose through Him and it all glorifies Him. There is something about plants that makes me JUMP FOR JOY! Something about that shade of green screams NEW and ALIVE!! 

Quick update on COVID-19… Yes, I am still going on the race! As of right now, Adventures in Missions is prayerful that we will still launch in September. However, they have pushed training camp from July to September - which just means I will spend 10-days training in Gainesville, GA and then launch to my first country immediately after:) I am thankful to be a part of an organization that relies fully on God’s guidance and prayer. I will continue to give updates on any changes and thank you so much for praying over all the pieces that need to come together for this trip to happen!!

BIG SURPRISE to wrap this up! We’ve had a country added to our route!! SOUTH AFRICA here we come!! I am now going to serve in FOUR COUNTRIES!! Yay yay yay!! super excited to now visit Swaziland, South Africa, Ethiopia, and Cambodia:)