the best adventures...

After nearly 18 months in Africa, I have made some really wonderful memories; it makes it really hard to leave. I just wanted to share some of them with you all as I look back on my time here and prepare to head home :o)

Thursday night dinner/game nights with Donna, Allan, Kristen, Kerrina, Tamara, Danger, and Joshua.

Thanksgiving with some of my favorite Australians.

Going on vacation, being introduced to Clarens, Tempelhof Lion Park, and having Jo-burg adventures.

Team time at Living Life Cafe... pretty much every week.

Black tie events... thank you Vodacom ;o)

Creating the art therapy studios with Chase.

Easter dinner spent at Beautiful Gate Orphanage with the volunteers followed by a game of Redneck Life.

Manicure time with my residents.

Lazy summer afternoons spent at the pool. And summer here lasts for a solid 6 months. It is glorious.

The best day ever: gym, brunch at Living Life, Tempelhof Lion Park, and the Ficksburg Cherry Festival... 

Highly entertaining conversations over dinner at the Lout household... two words: save sacks.

Cousin reunion 2012: safari's, sushi, and small-ish lions.

Watching "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" with our residents- they LOVE that movie.

Durban with two of my favorite friends here.

Helping to start Victory Church Maseru, and getting to know our wonderful pastors- Monddy and Wilson.

Horseback riding in the mountain kingdom.

Two weekends in Semongkong, on one of which I repelled down a 206 meter waterfall. It is the longest commercial abseil in the world.

Snuggling with the BDS babies/kids.

Setting off fireworks at sunset at Lancer's Gap.

My final weekend here has also been filled with wonderful memories- a spa afternoon at Cranberry Cottage, dinner and a movie (Gatsby in 3D) in Bloemfontein, and a team afternoon in Clarens- a great little resort town in South Africa, and some upcoming dinners with good friends. It is so bittersweet to leave here- I have come to love so many people and I dread the good-byes...

So these are roughly 20 of my favorite memories from the past year and a half... and I am sure that I am leaving out so many more. Please continue to pray for me as I face this next transition and seek God's will for the next chapter of my life. I am still struggling with a lot of fear, and of course the sadness surrounding the closing of this season. Pray for the good-byes that I now have to say- pray that God is in them and that they will be healthy and that He works them for good, especially for my residents. 

I have so many fond memories of the people and places here, and I am so privileged to have had the opportunity to serve in this wonderful country. These next weeks will be hard, but I trust that they will be good. I am so excited to see family and friends at home, and I look forward to what God has for me next. After all, the Lord always promises better things; I will write this verse on my heart, just as I did when I left to come here. It still holds true, as God's word always does:

"But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them."

~Hebrews 6: 8-10

A belated update on the adventure

I know that it has been a while since my last post... nearly 3 months if you want to get technical. A lot has happened- some really amazing things that bring such joy to my heart and life, and some really heartbreaking things that I will probably never talk about in a blog post. I have, in fact, been writing a lot lately- but they are musings that are better left for myself and for God. However, I do want to share a few things and ask for some prayer:

In the past few months, we have welcomed many new residents into our program. They are light and joy, and my time with them restores my soul. As per our confidentiality restraints I cannot give any specific details of their cases, but suffice it to say that they have suffered under the worst, most fallen conditions of humanity and the Lord is slowly, graciously redeeming and restoring them. Please pray for this amazing work that God is doing in their lives and that they continue to heal from the trauma that they have survived. It is such a privilege and a blessing to be a part of their journeys here and I will miss them all more than words can say...

My time here in Lesotho is winding down. I leave Lesotho on May 22nd, I fly out of Johannesburg May 23rd, and I arrive in Chicago on May 24th. I miss my family and cannot wait to spend the summer with them, but I am not ready to leave here. I am never ready for good-byes, actually. So I am dreading the last hugs and conversations that I will be having in two short weeks. I am going to miss the people of this beautiful mountain kingdom called Lesotho. 

I do not know what is next for me, and I need prayer for discernment and guidance. My future is completely up-in-the-air once again, and I have been battling with fear and anxiety surrounding what I am supposed to do and where I am supposed to go. I am remaining open to coming back to Lesotho in September (I will be nannying for the summer) but I am also praying about staying in the U.S. and either getting a job in Chicago or moving down to Oklahoma City to help BDS open the shelter there... and as always I am open to God sending me to yet another country. I have felt the many prayers and I have gratefully received the words of support and encouragement this past year and a half, so thank you to all of you who have been following this great adventure of mine! You are so very appreciated. xx

"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

~Luke 12: 32-34