Just four months ago I was leaving for the adventure of a lifetime;
heading into to the unknown in hopes of living a life of Acts. Now I'm
looking back on the first half of my journey and wondering where in the
world my plans for this trip went. The truth is, I came to South Africa
with this great idea to stop thinking about myself and think about the
Lord. I had this grand image of me stepping into ultimate servant hood;
a God hungry girl ready to do anything it took to see His kingdom come
here on earth. Not a bad plan, but definitely not God's plan. After
extensive learning, discipleship, and experience I came to realize that
I wasn't being the servant to others that I has imagined, I was being a
servant to myself. I was forced onto a path of self discovery. This
was, at first, and extreme disappointment to me. I didn't come to South
Africa to learn about my own heart, I came to see God's. It took me up
to this point to realize that the two coincide with one another - God's
heart and my own. In looking to Him I will find more of myself. It's
impossible to serve God and not be filled in return. In writing this
I'm reminded of something someone told me before the trip.

"You will gain more than you can imagine right now. As long as you
remain open to what He has for you, you will grow immensely in your
walk the Lord."

There you have it. I've been open to racing after His heart and been
given the privilege of finding myself along the way. We are, after all,
to adopt the hearts of Christ. So bye to me, hello to Jesus.

This portion of my adventure, filled with all it's digesting, has been
the build up to an amazing outreach. I leave for the AIDS struck
country of Swaziland with a team of 15 in just a few days. My image for
the next four and a half months is similar to that which I had back in
September, but this time I will be doing His Acts with a renewed spirit.

Thanks for keeping diligent in your support through prayers for us
traveling missionaries. Know that they proven answered all the time in
the many blessings I've received while being here. And also know that
your work as missionaries back home is very encouraging to me. I look
forward to being more of a part of it when I return.

In His name