Hey Neighbors,

Well… I made it to base camp! 😅 And if I’m being completely honest, I’ve already had to change a few plans I had for this blog.

If you’ve been following along, you may have noticed that I had started sharing my testimony here. I originally planned to finish telling that story before I left, because it’s such a huge part of how God brought me into this season.

But I’ve decided not to finish my testimony on the blog after all. I actually deleted the first part that I had shared, too.

And honestly, I think that decision needed to happen.

For a while, I felt like I couldn’t move forward with the blog because I had started my testimony and hadn’t finished it. It was almost like I had this unfinished piece hanging over me, and because I felt like I needed to finish it first, I ended up not updating the blog at all.

Which is kind of funny when you think about it. I had all these things I wanted to share, but I was so focused on finishing the one thing I had started that I stopped writing altogether.

The truth is, I was trying to do too much before I left. I wanted to document everything, finish everything, prepare for everything, and somehow keep up with normal life at the same time. And somewhere along the way, I completely burnt myself out.

Now I’m here.

I’ve already left home, I’m at training, and life has officially moved into a completely different rhythm. I simply don’t have the time I thought I would have to sit down and finish my testimony the way I originally intended.

But there’s another reason I’m okay with letting it go.

We’ll actually be working on our testimonies here at training, with guidance and space to really think through what we’re sharing. And I’ve realized that I’d much rather start over with some guidance than try to force myself to finish something I was already struggling to put into words.

My testimony is important to me. It’s a huge part of how God brought me to this season, and I want to tell it well. I don’t want to rush through it just because I told myself I had to finish it before I left.

So, for now, the testimony is staying with me.

And that also means I’m giving myself permission to move forward with this blog.

I don’t want an unfinished testimony to keep me from sharing everything else God is doing here. There is so much happening already, and I’m excited to be able to actually start documenting it again — even if the updates are a little more sporadic than I originally imagined. 😅

I think one of the first things God has been teaching me in this season is that I don’t have to do everything!

I don’t have to document every moment. I don’t have to finish every project. I don’t have to perfectly prepare for everything that’s ahead. And I definitely can’t pour everything I have into every single thing and expect myself not to get exhausted.

So I’m letting go of the pressure.

The testimony can wait.

The blog can move forward.

And for now, I’m here. I’m learning. I’m being stretched. I’m taking it one day at a time.

And maybe that’s exactly where I’m supposed to be. 🤍

~Your Friendly Neighborhood Pastors Kid