The night before we leave!!

Ok guys... The time is near.. We leave tomorrow at 1:20... I cant believe the time is actually here... There is so much going on right now i feel like three hundred emotions are going at once... My whole team is anxious to get there... I am getting nervous, and excited, and well.... EXCITED!! These last few days in Florida have been really great. Our team is really coming together and all these kids are AWESOME!!! So here is the list of us...

Lexi aka Principessa... 18 from Rockland CA... Kyle and Marcia Bethkes church!! :)
Sean aka Sedona.... 18 From Gilbert AZ
Catie aka Ebony... 18 From Pheonix AZ
My Roomate... Tamara... 18 from Norco / La area
Charlee aka Missy M....17 from Fort Lauderdale Florida
Then me!!! and you all know me!!

Thats our team, and Ryan Moore is my leader from our home Church... Our other leader is Daneli, my Dominican Sister:) AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! ts getting so exciting!! Thank you all so much for your support and prayers and amazing encouragement!! I love you all so much and I am going to miss you all like crazy... Thank you so so so so so much for everything. Pray for our flights which are... Florida to Detroit, Detroit to Amsterdam (7hours) then Amsterdam to Africa (10 hours)... It will be a long two days or so... I love you all so much and will miss you... Did i say that already?? Ok, Im signing off... I will write as soon as i possibly can.. We will be on a gaming reserve for the first two weeks which is AWESOME!!! We will be hanging out with all kinds of wild animals, and doig more team training... SO hopefully i will write to you soon.. Love you all!!! Love Dom

So i arrived in florida on wednesday at around five o clock. . . I was so tired and hungry! The weather was hot and humid. . . SHOCK CAUSE ITS FLORIDA! :-) I got to meet four of the five people on my team and i am the oldest! :) besides my leaders which are great too! So wednesday was great. We got to eat dinner with Randy and Becky Young who are amazing. After dinner we got to take communion together as a team and pray together which was really cool. It was a great day. I had a hard time sleeping cause of the time difference but it was a good day! Thursday . . . So we woke up and did devotions, had breakfast and studied one of our books! After lunch we had another study session with Randy about missions. It was amazing. :) later last night we had mexican Food at Jens house. Dessert
was AMAZING:-) When we got to the hotel we played some cards and went to sleep. Friday. . . Today we had devotions and we did a study on spiritual warfare- after that we had orientation then lunch. We just got done with free time at a local park and now we are going to get ice cream:) i will write again soon! Dom

OK OK OK.. Just before i leave... A few words to my family...

Mom...

  

I cant even begin to tell you how amazing you truly are.  I have learned so much from you and count it a true blessing to have you as my mom.  Your love for Jesus shines bright and encourages me daily.  Thank you for all that you do and you have done for me.  Your love support and encouragement have truly meant the world to me.  Tank you for supporting me on this journey and giving me an extra push to fly:)  I couldn't have done this without you.  You are my best friend and I will miss you constantly.  I love you so much and appreciate who you are and what you have done for me.

Dad....

 

Where do i even begin with you!! You are such an amazing dad, friend and man of God.  Thank you for believing in me throughout this whole thing and telling me that I can do it even in times when i felt like i couldn't.  Thank you for always making me laugh when my heart hurt and encouraging me when things seemed to heavy for me to carry... You helped carry them for me.  I love you with all of my heart and I will miss you... TONS...  When i miss you i will just look down at my feet!!

Jbug...

Jack, words can begin to describe my love for you.. I am so proud of who you have become and what you are doing with your life now.  Thank you for believing in me and pushing me to do what is right, even if you seem really mean in the process ;/... Its your job and you do it WELL... What's the secret dude..... Any tips.... Ya got any tips fah meh?? Thank you for always making me laugh and bringing a smile to my face.  You are amazing and Christine is truly a lucky woman to have you as your future husband... I love you brother and I will miss you a lot... 

Christine...

My beautiful sister-in-law... You make me speechless... Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for your encouragement.  My eyes filled with tears the day I got home from Mexico and saw what you had done for me... My eyes filled with tears tonight when I read the card you wrote to me with the dove.  You are an amazing woman and i am thrilled to have you as a part of our Lugo family..  There isn't another woman i would choose to fill your shoes.  I am going to miss you so much while I am gone, but know that I love you and will be thinking of you always!! Thank you for all you have done for me!

Becca...

My true sister... I love you.. I am proud of the woman you are becoming in God.  I know this is going to be hard for me and you, but I believe that in this time we will grow so much.  You are more than my best friend, you are my sister and a big part of my heart.  Not a day goes by when i dont think of what an amazing blessing you are in my life.  I am so lucky to have you as my sister.. .  I mean, you wrote me 96 cards.. That was so amazing Meems, I cant even begin to tell you how awesome that is!!  You mean the world to me and believe i will be counting the days until i see you again.  My heart will be with you always and I love you so much B!! 

Gma Blanche...

You sexy sexy lady... Where would i be without you... You are my hero... I know that we have a very special bond and it means the world to me.  Thank you for all of your support on my journey Blanch.  You mean so very much to me and The only thing I would bring if I had more room would be YOU!! Your heart for missions has inspired me and i got my passion for adventure and life  from you!! SO thanks alot!! Look what you got me into:)  I love you Grandma, thank you for all your support, encouragment and prayers... Ill miss you!

Going away party... Thank you all for coming!! <3

The night before i leave!!!

OK.... So i am sitting in front of my computer and I am thinking that it is really here.... I am leaving... Tomorrow morning at five a.m., I will be starting my journey to South Africa... Well, really to Florida, then South Africa!! :)  There are three hundred emotions going on inside of me right now... There is a quiet peace about me... Knowing that God has opened so many doors for this trip and I have chosen to be obedient and walk through them.  So many things have happened over the last few moths... And as i look back at the events that have taken place, I can say that God has cleared the path, and stripped me of a lot of things that I held close to me so that NOTHING could hold me back... And nothing is now.  Its time for me to fly... And i had to get a little push from a few people..:) but without those shoves, who knows!!  Thank you to all of the people who have supported me and helped me through this journey! I am going to try and add an image now... I will write more later I am sure!!