Lions and giraffes and elephants... oh my! Time for a cousin adventure!

This past month I was blessed with a much needed visit from my cousin, Ben. As I talked about in my last post, I have been struggling with homesickness- along with compassion fatigue and feeling a bit burned out since I do not have my usual 'self-care' methods: horseback riding, girls nights out, game nights at friends, the young adults group at church... So a visit from one of my favorite cousins came at just the right time! It was wonderful to meet up with him in Johannesburg and get to go on a safari and to the Lion Park. Oh, and big THANK YOU! to my aunt Rose and uncle Roy for treating us to a fantastic sushi dinner. Sushi is my favorite, and I was not sure how I would last a whole 5 months more without it :o) Many adventures were had, and I came back home to Lesotho with lots of stories- it finally felt like I was living in Africa!! The trip also helped me to realize how important it is for me to monitor my time off and make sure that I do things that relax and restore me... I am much more useful in my job here if I am energized and enthusiastic! Here are a few snapshots of our trip:

The cousin adventure begins!!

Oh, you know, just some elephants in the road...

Rwar!!

As far as things with Beautiful Dream are going, things are busy but good! Our Africa director is transitioning into a role based more in the States, since her daughter and husband have to be there for school and work reasons, respectively. This leaves Cristen, our assistant director, and myself with a lot of responsibility. It is exciting and intimidating all at the same time :o) Please pray that I am able to step up and meet these responsibilities with vivacity, and that God gives us all grace in this time of transition. I also need prayer for my finances; I raised 60% of my needed support for the year, and now that I am nearly 7 months in I really need that last 40%! Other than that, please continue to pray for our residents in the midst of court cases, all of the cases are dragging out and we have not seen one end since January. Yikes! But our residents are strong, steadfast in the Truth, and they feel encouraged and supported. Praise God for His unending grace, it is present here more than ever! 

"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters,
He restores my soul."


~Psalm 23: 1-3