The final countdown.

All of my funds are raised.
All of my clothes, hygiene items, and necessary packing items are in huge piles around my bedroom.
My suitcase sits ready to be filled.
I have a Toy Story alien plush ready to travel by my side.
Somehow the countdown of days flew from 248 to 2.
2. Two. Today and tomorrow and then I'm gone.

Despite all the preparation, I don't think it has truly hit me that I will be sitting down with my team to begin training camp the day after tomorrow. These people I've exchanged so many messages with will become more than just faces on a Facebook page, but my team and family for the next month. I'm actually going to be living in Romania for a month. That thought just doesn't seem real.
The love I've been shown by family and friends as I prepare to leave has been overwhelming. My entire youth group laid hands on me and prayed over my trip and myself on my last Wednesday night before traveling, I've received more than enough money to pay for the trip and have extra to take over with me, and just this morning I was standing in my other family's living room while my "Genetic Mom" prayed over the trip with my "sister" and "twin brother". I have a notebook filled with letters from friends and family to read every day while I am on my journey, and those letters have come from everyone, from people like my parents and grandparents to friends and some of my old dance students.

Tomorrow I zip up my bags and prepare for one last night at home before I'm gone. To celebrate my going away, I'm making a late night Cook Out run with one of my closest friends and my cousin, partially because I want to spend time with them before I leave and partially so I don't go into late night panic attack the night before I leave. Then it's time to get in the car, drive to Georgia, and embark on the trip of a lifetime.

While I'm gone, I will have no internet access, but the team leaders will be updating our team blog on how our trip is going and the work we are doing. I encourage you all to keep up with that blog, which I'll post the link to below.
When I get home, I'm considering starting a consistent blog, but that's another story for another day.
See you on the other side!

Days until Romania: 2.
Funds raised so far: $4,350 out of $4,350.
TEAM BLOG: http://10ro0616amb4.myadventures.org/

The breath of fresh air.

The past nine months of my life have been revolving around hours on a sheet of paper that dictate when I am needed to scoop ice cream for ungrateful children inside a small building with people who are like my own bizarre little family. I've had plans ruined due to weekend shifts, days altered because I took a shift for someone at the last minute, and spent more time washing dishes and making waffles cones than I have doing anything else.
Today it all ended. I clocked out for the last time and taped a giant letter up on the wall for my co workers to read. It was nothing but a nonsensical novel of inside jokes and well wishing, filled with things no one but four of them will understand.
This morning I was really depressed about this day coming. As much as I've waited for it and thought it would never come, it finally hit me how much I'll really miss this job. I'll miss making radioactive pink cotton candy ice cream, running to the gas station together after closing with the guys, and listening to Anthony sing while he works (even when he doesn't know the words). Today I worked with a guy I've never met, but he found my ninja fly killing amusing and was really awesome. I made my last ice cream (Mint Chocolate Chip) and served my last customer (A chocolate waffle cone and strawberry smoothie). Caroline and Anthony both came to visit me. It was a good last day at work.
However, the thing about today that stood out was not any of that. It was the customer Matt helped while I was killing flies.

I was up front killing the remainder of flies that seemed to be breeding in the store (It's an ice cream store where the windows are almost always open. Bugs always find a way in and we have two huge bug lights to help this problem. I love hot, summer weather) while Matt made a milkshake for a guy at the window. Conversationally the guy asked if we'd been busy all day. We got to talking about the business and he asked how long I'd been working there. I told him, "Since August, but today is actually my last day," so he asked me why I was leaving. I told him I was going to Romania this summer on a mission trip and then going to college this fall. Well, it turns out the man had spent over 20 years traveling the world as a chaplain. He was asking me about my trip and kept saying how much I was going to love it and how blessed I would be the experience and how eye opening it would be. Matt brought him the milkshake and got his change for him, and as the guy was leaving he handed me his $5 change and said, "Put it towards your trip," and left before I could even react.

I love how God surprises us in the most unexpected ways on the most unexpected days. The last thing on my mind was fund raising for my trip, and yet this man who has nothing to gain from helping me and didn't even know my name or anything about me handed me what could have easily funded his next milkshake or cup of coffee or anything else that would directly benefit him. These are the people that are a breath of fresh air amidst the self serving customers who only complain about their orders and treat us like dogs. People like him give me hope.

Days until Romania: 35
Funds raised so far: $3,043 out of $4,350

Cliches.

Normally, I hate cliches. However, nothing about me lately has been normal*.

That roller coaster I mentioned earlier? Yeah, it's more like a cliff.
I have a decision to make. A life altering, big deal, serious business decision. The decision requires a lot of faith, trust, and prayer (Forget pixie dust. No one really wants to be covered in Tinkerbell's dead skin cells.).
Everything has been lined up. It's all sitting in front of me, just a tiny baby step outside of my comfort zone.
At this point, I feel like God has presented this plan to me and put the ball in my court. I can either go one route and wait for a metaphorical whale (Or literal, but I don't really think a real whale is going to come ashore solely because of me) to gobble me up and take me where I was supposed to go in the first place, OR I can take a deep breath, step off the cliff in front of me, and trust that God is waiting right there to catch me.
I've never been scared to go against the norm, so it would only be fitting that my decisions in the next few months (both leading up to, during, and after Romania) would lead me down a path that is different and "non-conformist".
I'm not ready to share just yet what this path I'm seeing is, but until the time comes for me to share it, I covet your prayers. Prayers that I may have the discernment to hear God's voice and make the right decision, that I'll be able to seek wise council and receive sound advice. This is a very big decision to be making, and one that requires a lot of faith and hard work all together.

More directly and less ambiguously, I'd like to share with you guys this video one of my friend (and Romania team mate!) Tory shared with our Romania team. I won't lie to you, I actually cried the first time I watched it. My heart is already in Romania and I cannot wait to finally arrive and be the hands and feet of Christ, a light in the lives of these beautiful people.
http://vimeo.com/4273395

Days until Romania: 56
Funds raised so far (Yes, I'm still fund raising! I know someone asked in comments on the last post): $2,838 out of $4,350.

* Normal has actually never applied to me. Just yesterday a customer came by work with a blue bandage on their chin, and I thought they were wearing a duct tape soul patch much like the one I wear when I pretend to be Apolo Ohno. . . then I remembered that no one but me does that.

Prom night.

Prom is tonight.
My first words as a child were in protest to prom. I’ve never liked the idea and always swore I’d make it out without going. We see how far that got me.
I mean, it could be a far worse situation. I’m not going as a date and I’m going with my best friend. Neither one of us is big on dancing, and I haven’t actually seen the other girl going with us in ages. The whole hanging-out-with-them-and-seeing-my-face-on-the-senior-recognition-display-advertising-a-Maya-Angelou-quote-and-aspiration-to-be-Amy-Poehler-to-Bree’s-Tina-Fey-amidst-tons-of-girls-who-want-to-only-be-stay-at-home-moms* will be grand fun. I also really love my dress, which is doubling (tripling?) as my graduation dress and the dress I’m wearing to my Aunt’s wedding in June. However, I just hate the idea of prom.

I feel like prom is trivial, and I’m beyond trivial at the moment. There are so many untrivial events about to occur in my life and I’m ready to be there, so things like prom and walking the stage at graduation seem so small. I’m ready to be out of high school and getting out in the world doing huge things that will not only impact my life by the lives of those around me. Sometimes, to be honest, I’ve started to question whether or not I’m supposed to really be going to college. I’m so anxious to get to Romania and help the broken world, it seems like college is almost a road block towards that. It’s a crazy thought, I know, because I’ve been given a clear point from God that I’m headed to UNCG for a reason that is non-academic.

My brain is cluttered today. I’m just thrilled by the possibilites that lay ahead of me but anxiously awaiting the day I get to actually experience them.
You know that feeling when you reach the very top of a giant hill on a roller coaster and you know that in two seconds, you’re going to drop a million feet, causing adrenaline to fly through your entire nervous system?
That feeling is here.

"Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!"
Psalm 27:14

"May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of His Holy Spirit,"
Romans 15:13

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him,"
Psalm 28:7

Days until Romania: 60
Funds raised: $2,838 out of $4,350.

* Not that there is anything wrong with being a stay at home mom. I’m just saying that it seems to be a pretty common thing among home schooled girls, and they tend to lean towards the Michelle Duggar side of stay at home mom, which I actually find to be a bit much.

Focus.

I have an incredibly difficult time focusing.
For example, I checked Facebook twice before I actually finished typing that sentence. Last night it took me almost two hours to write an email that should have taken 15 minutes solely because I would open a new tab, check other sites, or watch the movie Kaity was watching in the same room as me. I blame my inability to focus for my infrequent updates on this blog.

Honestly, Romania should scare me. It should horrify me and make me more nervous than anything else. But it doesn't. I, the girl who can't clean a kitchen or get sand under her finger nails without feeling incredibly uncomfortable and squeamish, am incredibly okay with the idea of how incredibly gross we're going to get on this trip and all the work that is involved. What part of this process horrifies me? The fund raising.
As a child I was painfully shy, and sometimes this still plagues me. I've come out of my shell a lot as I have gotten older and more mature, but I still struggle with moments of this shyness. Public speaking has never been my gift and I find myself struggling with what to say and correct ways to form sentences. Combine this with my inability to ask for help, and fund raising does not a happy Sarah make. Right now I have over half the money I need for Romania, but to pull the rest in requires both an abundance of prayer and another fund raiser. My parents Sunday School class wanted to do a fund raiser for my trip, so while I was out yesterday earning blisters while ice skating with some friends, my parents were having lunch with two couples from their class to discuss what type of fund raiser should happen. Instead, they decided that it would be more beneficial for me to speak to their class and another class in the church about my trip and the work we'll be doing so that people will be willing to donate money.
Upon hearing this, I did a panicked rocking back in forth motion on the floor while my brother checked his Facebook and my friend played guitar. Bre didn't miss a beat, grabbed my dad's Bible off the desk, and immediately flipped to Psalms. She handed me the Bible and immediately said, "Read it. Now. Two and three," and jabbed her finger at a page.

"Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind. For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness," Psalm 26:2-3

The whole preparation for this trip is indeed a test. It's becoming more and more evident as time goes on. I know that God is incredibly good and faithful and I can survive any test he sees me fit to go through, but this is really stretching out of my comfort zone. With lots of prayer (and Bre around to through Scripture at me), I know I can make it through this. It's only speaking in front of people who would probably want to help.

Days until Romania: 86.
Funds raised so far: $2,838 out of $4,350

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.