Terry, fears, Singapore, prayers - life right now

Terry's memorial service was on Sunday. I cried like a baby. I can't imagine how the McElhatton family is holding up. I can't imagine loosing my Dad right now. And what makes it worse is that I am in charge of his estate when he passes (hopefully it won't be for a LONG time). I can't fathom loosing my Dad - it's such a foreign and unwanted concept to me.

And this kind of ties back to my fear of separation - I fear being separated emotionally and physically from the poeople that I love. Going through my family moving to NC and me staying in Cali was a huge separation for me. I was 18 and on my own - financially, apart from my family that I had lived with my entire life, and experiencing life in a total new fashion that, believe you me, took a little bit of time to get used to. I remember crying myself to sleep for the first 6 months after the move. It was painful. And while other family members (like my crazy great-aunt) were convinced that my family had "abandoned" me, I knew that it was a choice that had made for myself and to a certain degree, I was okay with that fact.

This is not to say that I have to have all of my loved ones surrounding me 24/7 - God knows I would go crazy within a week! I have no idea what I am trying to say....I guess what I am trying to get at is the the fear is simply that - a fear. I know that I can experience separation - I am at the point where I have been there, done that, and will continue facing that. What I need to keep remembering is that no matter who comes and goes in my life, I have God as my one constant and He's all I really need.

Regarding Singapore, we leave in 16 days! Oh my goodness! I am SO excited! This is the first mission trip I will lead and while I may not be perfect for the role, I have faith that things will work out. I pray that we can effectively help our missionaries in Singapore and that God can use us in amazing ways to expand His kingdom. We have a little over $3,000 to raise for the entire team and finances are still pouring in. Please continue to pray for our team - for finances, passports, bonding, and an impact to be made when we take off.

Please continue to pray for Akalina - this summer has been difficult for her and has some decisions to make in the next few days. Also, her dad, John was just diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his esophogus. He is going through blood tests and CAT scans to make sure it did not spread to other parts of his body. Soon, he will go under the knife to get the tumor removed and then start chemo. Please pray for John, his healing, and for strength to battle this cancer.

My sisters, brother, and Mom are flying out for the next two weeks! Janessa and Tamara arrive Thursday morning in an ungodly hour of the morning and everyone else flies in 6 days later. I can't wait to see them! It will have been almost 8 months since I have last seen them and apparently McKinley has grown even more. Oh my goodness - that kid grows faster than a weed! Things should be fun with Chris meeting my family for the first time and although he keeps in touch with Tamara over Facebook Chat, it'll be a nex experience to meet her face-to-face. And while I am a bit nervous about it, I am super excited at the same time! This next 16 days until Singapore will be crazy - and then there's another 10 days of Singapore to work with - here's to the next 26 days of craziness!