COMING HOME!

Tomorrow morning at 6:30am I will start my journey home. I cannot believe the day has come. Where have the last 6 months gone? What will it be like at home? When people ask me for stories, will I be able to communicate the experiences?

As I pack everything up in my room, my mind is full. Often I like to have a nice neat story to share with you when I blog. This time I would like to share some thoughts as they are loosely coming together.

The past 3 weeks I have been working intensely on a project that was due on Friday. Hands @ Work is working towards becoming certified under the SA government as certified trainers. This will benefit people taking training from us and will help us with funding. As a part of this certification, I have to be certified personally as well. This was a very intense and stressful process. It was a relief to put the project into the mail on Friday.

Now that the project is done, I have been able to turn my focus towards preparing to return home. I cannot even begin to describe all of the emotions that I feel right now. When I was preparing to come to Africa in May, I remember feeling every emotion at the same time. I have definitely felt that since I have been here as well. Please be praying for my time at home.

Yesterday I felt the Christmas season. It was cold and rainy. I was talking to Carolyn Snyman about where she and her children will be for Christmas. I am so glad that the Lord told me months ago to come home for Christmas. I cannot wait to be home!

I have begun processing my time here. George mentioned at our Monday morning prayer meeting that Fear and Love are opposites. Wow. I can describe my whole time in Africa in this context. Never in my life have I experienced God's love, as I have since I have been here. This morning at George's house I felt so loved. Not because of anything specific, just being there, in the midst of his family.

I felt God's love for others in a way I have never known before.

Wow, even now, as I think back over the past 3 weeks. Working on that project, I was in such fear, for no reason really. Fear for the sake of fear, as I look back now. When I was in the midst of the stress, it was very difficult to have perspective. That was the problem. I lost all prespective. I was not loving myself or the people around me.

Until today, I was having a hard time looking back over my time in Africa and seeing anything other than that project. It totally consumed me.

I feel so refreshed, with renewed perspective. As I step out of fear and choose to receive God's love for me, He is free to do great things in and through me.

Gosh, it is difficult for my mind to contain even the beginning of what I understand of what next year holds.

Some Swedish friends that I met in Mozambique came to visit me in SA. We spent a day driving through the beautiful Mpmalanga. Breath taking! Even more breath taking was our adventure on the "big swing." We fell (strapped in of course) from a cliff 68 meters high then swung over the tree tops. This is hands down the scariest physical thing that I have ever done! Interesting. I think that it was no mistake that I did it at this time in my life. My shirt says "I have conquored my fear!" there are many spiritual lessons to be learned from this place.

Fear can be distructive, but only if we allow it to be.

I am looking forward to sharing stories of God's extravagant love. Please email me if you have anytime this holiday season to have a cup of coffee with me! I will also be having small gatherings of friends getting together to share stories.