Hi, I’m Jenna Huckaby, you may or may not remember me. 

I’m the girl that used to write faithfully in this blog until life got so good that I couldn’t miss time living it to write about it. You’ll have to forgive me for my leave of absence and maybe put up with me writing about stuff that happened 3 months ago in the near future..because a lot of good stuff has gone down in the past 4 months. 

And I have a feeling that a lot of good stuff is gonna go down in the next 3 months as well. But I promise to keep y’all in the loop this time. 

Back in February, I went on the Send Me Now interview retreat to interview for different summer mission opportunities. Because I had separate opportunities to go to Jamaica or Haiti through my church and mission friends at home, I planned to interview for Russia or East Asia, but this summer camp in New Mexico caught my eye and without thinking, I spontaneously signed up for an interview for there too. After interviewing I sat on the lake for a while and asked myself what I was doing. I didn’t want to work at camp all summer. I wanted to do mission work abroad, like I usually do. But after the interview I also had a lingering feeling that Glorieta, New Mexico would be exactly where I’d be headed. God has a way of sending us where we are the most hesitant to go, not because He is mean or cruel, but because where there is discomfort there is room for growth.

Sure enough, one day later I got a phone call telling me I had indeed been chosen as a Recreational Staffer at Glorieta and asking a single question: do you accept? 

Yes. Yes, of course. 

And now here I am, sitting in my bedroom among boxes of unpacked dorm stuff, two suitcases that I think will get me through 12 weeks, and assortments of stuff that is destined for my apartment the day I return on August 14th. 

The night before mission trips have always been my least favorite. I hardly ever sleep because I hardly ever feel ready. I’m a last minute packer and I always seem to have other priorities that I want to give my full attention to, like saying goodbye to friends, praying and journaling, and..well.. blogging. In the midst of the pre-leaving madness, I am usually brimming with different emotions concerning the coming adventure: excitement, nervousness, doubt, apathy, joy, they ebb and flow like the ocean tide. Tonight is no different. 

If I had to peg it to one, though, it’d have to be anticipation. I anticipate growth, change, opportunities. I anticipate trials and pain, because they are a part of life and it is through them that we often experience the most significant growth. I anticipate discovery and I anticipate God. 

And I anticipate sharing it here with you over the next 3 months, 

Happy Trails,

Jenna