Fund raising.

I had a motto this weekend.

"For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall," - Psalm 18:29.

By donning this attitude and a bright shade of red lipstick, I decided I could dominate the world. Strangely enough, I had no trouble going by myself to an audition in an unfamiliar place and confidently performing for the panel of directors. I went back inside the first church I ever belonged to with an old friend and conquered some awkward memories with him without any hesitation. What, you ask, was the thing that finally got to me?

Stirring a giant vat of thick, steaming Brunswick stew.

Saturday afternoon, post audition, my family drove to Greensboro for the first of my Romania fundraisers. My aunt, soon-to-be uncle, and friends had been out at the first church I ever attended since 4AM making giant vats of Brunswick stew to sell for my trip. By the end of the day every bit of it had been sold, and I believe the grant total was 170+ containers. At $7 a container, that adds up to some real money. I'm now at over half of my funds raised! I don't know the official number yet, but I do know that I feel incredibly loved and extremely blessed that people who haven't seen me since I wore overalls and had hair rivaling that of Hermione Granger were willing to come out and spend money to support me (or just to have stew. . . but still.)

Don't get off thinking that I didn't have to do anything but make a celebrity like appearance and be a pretty face at this event. Despite that I came dressed post-audition in a nice romper and leather jacket, I was still put to work by the claim of "We've been out here since 4AM for you!".

My Romania team has taken on a slightly "What would Apolo Ohno do?" outlook on this trip (due to the love for speed skating that one of my teammates and I share), and as a symbol of it we are all wearing red bandanas while we are there, and in some cases while doing things involving our trip pre-departure.

Frank led me inside the tent where the stew was being cooked, handed me a giant ladle and told me to scoop into the containers we was holding. Taking a deep breath that smelled like nature and hot stew, I tied the red bandana around my head, nearly gagged, but tried to keep the heart of a lion as Apolo would do, and plunged the ladle into the giant steamy mess.

Like all good and loyal best friends, my friend Kate was there with camera in tow, so you can all experience the lovely image that was Sarah Arant in her nice clothes, giant sweat shirt, and Apolo bandana partaking in the fundraising for her Romania trip. It is definitely a sight to behold.

I almost vomited everywhere at the site and smell of stirring this mess, but I ran against the troop and leapt over a wall. God has sent me through a lot of challenges in preparation not only for the rest of my life, but for this trip, so it was about time I faced another one. I just wasn't aware it would be in the form of a thick soup.

Days until Romania: 107.

Funds raised: (estimated) $3,075 out of $4,350.

The Little Things.

I'm a firm believer in the unexpected. Spontaneity is the spice to the frequent blandness of life, and I embrace this belief with all my strength. I love that I serve a God who is constantly surprising me with little blessing each and every day, even in the most simple ways. I value the small things, and I love that he has filled my life with unexpected surprises each day, such as;

- A co worker who is currently working their way through seminary. Don't get me wrong, I actually (despite how everyone else feels) love my job. It's simple and I work with some cool people. However, it's often discouraging to be the only one who is active in their faith or who even has a faith at all. With the warmer weather comes new co workers, and one of them just happens to be currently working through seminary. It's refreshing to tell someone about Romania and my purpose in going and instead of receiving an uncomfortable nod, I hear, "God is going to bless you so much through this trip. What an incredible opportunity!"

- Showing me that it is possible to love a youth group again. I've been attending my friend's youth group sporadically for the past few months, and quite honestly didn't expect to go back after the first visit. I only accepted her invitation because I felt bad refusing, but little did I know that God had other plans for me. It's refreshing for once to go into a group of people where I genuinely feel comfortable being myself, despite the fact that I know no one. After my experience with the previous youth group I attended, I truly believed I would never go back into a youth group. I'm glad to have been proven wrong.

- Mountains. Honestly, is there anything more beautiful than the mountains? I don't think there is. I was lucky enough to spend my weekend in Banner Elk with the aforementioned youth group, and not only did I get to see the mountains in all their glory, but they were covered in snow.

He knows how great the little things mean to me, and chooses to bless me through my quirks. Be it a moment of breathing in mountain air or realizing there is a place where I belong, Christ is constantly showing his love for me through the little things, a little surprise each and every day.

"Surprise us with love at daybreak; then we'll skip and dance all the day long," Psalm 90:14.

Days until Romania: 114.
Funds raised: $1,835 out of $4,350.

Bistrita Bound.

(My team has a team blog, but we're not really using it yet. Until then my posts will all be here. Once the team blog is more active, I'll be posting there and transferring those posts to this blog as well. I'll share the link to the team blog when the time comes!)

120 days. One hundred twenty days.
The more I say it the more unreal it seems. In 120 days, exactly four months from today, I'm going to be in Romania.

This time last year, had someone told me that I would be in the midst of fund raising and preparing to spend a month for Christ in Romania, I would have literally laughed in their face. It is a long, messy story but it is no secret to anyone that the past year has not been an easy one for me. I felt at one point like my existence was truly insignificant, as if I were here solely to serve as an emotional punching bag to those around me. My life has done a complete 180 in the past few months, and this upcoming trip is truly a sign of what an amazing, merciful, loving God I serve. He truly is a God of miracles, who takes even the most broken spirit and pieces it back together to work for his glory and help those around them.

I'm far from perfect and completely prepared. I have lots of spiritual, physical, emotional (and not to mention financial) preparation to go before I depart for the beautiful country of Romania this June. However I know that the next four months will be filled with all of those things and through God's infinite love and grace, I will be beyond prepared to minister to the beautiful Roma people.

Days until Romania: 120.
Funds raised: $1,710 out of $4,350.