It has been a busy couple of weeks filled with a lot of activity. Some of those things included going to the beach with my church and spending the day eating and swimming in the Indian Ocean, going on an outing with the older youth from work to the mall and going on the rides that they have in the kids' fun zone, having my work end of the year lunch and ordering a Philly Cheesy Steak Baguette which made me excited and will probably be the closest thing to the cheese steak I have been craving, eating mangoes and leeches, Christmas shopping which often ended in us leaving the mall with no purchases, parking in the farthest spot in the mall parking lot because every space and curb was occupied, purchasing a sari for Christmas, work shutting down after some cram sessions, getting my first flat tire (and when I say flat, I mean flat), endless Mandela tributes, feeding and dancing with patients at a psychiatric hospital, lots of coloring with my niece, getting hooked to Isidingo (South African soapie), hanging out with two friends from work, a few U-turns, Christmas caroling (where we only sang I think a total of three actual Christmas carols), beginning the book "Long Walk to Freedom," wrapping Christmas presents to Keith Green music instead of Christmas songs, Dutch Blitz, Speed, getting honked and and yelled at for "stealing" someone's spot in the overflowing mall parking lot, food and more food, and a lot of laughter and some sadness.
While these past few weeks have been filled with a lot of new memories and laughter, they have been a hard few weeks. I have been more homesick lately for a variety of reasons and I think one of them is that Christmas is fast approaching. Five days! I can't believe it. It doesn't necessarily feel like Christmas which makes me feel better because then I won't feel like I'm quite missing my family as much - hopefully. The Jesus Calling for December 18 gave me some peace in relation to my homesickness, "When you are plagued by a persistent problem - one that goes on and on - view it as a rich opportunity. An ongoing problem is like a tutor who is always by your side. The learning possibilities are limited only by your willingness to be teachable in faith, thank Me for your problem. Ask Me to open your eyes and your heart to all that I am accomplishing through this difficulty. Once you have become grateful for a problem, it loses its power to drag you down, on the contrary, your thankful attitude will lift you up into heavenly places with Me. From this perspective, your difficulty can be seen as a slight, temporary distress that is producing for you a transcendent Glory never to cease." I know that God placed me here for a purpose and that even through the things that weigh me down, God is working and molding me so that I can take what I learned/learn here in South Africa to wherever else He might lead me.
While I love and miss my family and home back in Pennsylvania, my place is here right now. God has a plan and is doing something great here in and through me. The verse from my mom this morning is Psalm 139:14, "I will praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well." I know that God is doing marvelous things here so even during the hard times, I will praise God because He is directing my paths.
Thank you all for the prayer and support, Merry Christmas! :)
P.S. I got an email from my sister Carissa that brightened up my day. One of her Books Never Written jokes made me smile: How to Distinguish Your Words by Seymour Clearly. Hope that made you smile too!
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