#liveyourmission

[kayla-marie628-blog]

Introduction

As I pack in these coming weeks for both college and Africa it is becoming more and more surreal that this high school chapter of my life is closing. July 9th, 2018 marks the day I leave Pennsylvania for a month of adventure, new friendships, eye-opening experiences and the journey that God has called me to embark on. I will be traveling to the country Namibia in Southern Africa where my team and I will be staying alongside the Himba people just outside their village. They are an indigenous tribe that speak their own language, so there will be a language barrier; however, love knows no barrier - especially the love of God.

I will have access to internet connection once every 2 weeks, so three times total while I’m away, and I will use that time to update this blog so everyone can know what’s really going on while I’m halfway across the world. I will share lessons I’m learning, pictures I’ve taken and some of the unique experiences I will have encountered living among the tribe! I am so blessed to have been given this opportunity and I hope to share everything with those interested in my life and experiences!

[whosroaring-blog]

What’s your life’s mission? #liveyourmission

[livingthroughthelimits]

Immersion: Day 11

I am currently sitting at a coffee shop in New York City in the midst of so much unacknowledged chaos. Just beginning the start of this 6 month journey. I began 11 days ago, flying into the Fort Wayne Indiana airport and meeting a single team member there, and would soon meet the rest of my team throughout the day. We were driven to the training center where we would spend the next four days in training with several other mission teams. I was a little shocked to notice that when all my team was gathered, there wasn’t a single man present. This induced slight apprehension about 9 women traveling alone across countries, but the Lord works in mysterious ways, and this was certainly mysterious to me. Each morning till late afternoon for those days, we would be in a classroom talking about Loving people through Christ and being taught to recognize cultural differences that we may encounter. Over the course of Thursday all the other mission teams had embarked from the center, and we were patiently anticipating our departure Friday morning. Friday morning came along and we began our 10 hour drive to the extravagant New York City streets, in particular, Harlem, NY. Anyone who has been a student of American history has probably heard the name Harlem mentions once or twice. Frankly, Harlem had not received the most dignified reputation in the books. There was some apprehension throughout the group, but it has all dissolved since the initial arrival. Racially, socially, and politically we were the odd ones out, but with the pure intention of loving people, these differences did not come to the surface of our everyday interactions. We began staying at the Salvation Army center in the center of Harlem, and it has been incredible so far. We spent our first weekend exploring the Big Apple, being the confused and clueless tourists that we were. Monday, day 7, we began working side by side with the Salvation Army, trying to make ourselves available to them in whatever way possible. Everyday in the mornings from 10:30-12:30 some of us are serving food in the soup kitchen, and others are outreaching and trading stories with the less fortunate people we were serving. From 2:30-6 the After School program is in session, a program that cares for children whose parents are not able to retrieve the kids from school until after work. Some of us have been doing that, and some of us have been helping out the Salvation Army Lieutenants. The After School program has been more difficult, and understandably so. It seems as if the teachers for the program are insulted that this group of women feel that they need help to do their jobs. I completely understand, and while we are trying to help in a non intrusive way, we are still trying to figure out a way to serve in a way that there is no “better than thou” miscommunication. Prayers for those relationships would be greatly appreciated. We are doing well, however there has been lots of sickness being passed around, and I pray that our immune systems will be strengthened for the rest of the upcoming 6 months out of country. We will be setting off for Jamaica one week from today, and I pray for peace and assurance for that transition. Thank you all for your prayers, they have truly made a difference for us here. I still am not fully funded, I have $1,979 to raise to complete these 6 months, if you or anyone you know would like to invest in this mission, this is the link you can follow: https://experiencemission.org/sponsor/improfile.asp?sponsoreeid=7BC234F8-4783-4F07-B208-5523C053C46F

[masstoafrica1-blog]

Wrapping Up Lesotho

Thoughts are difficult to trap sometimes. We have now finished our time in Lesotho, and in the morning (late Saturday night for many of you) we will leave for Namibia. Just about everyone I've spoken to in the last week has asked me some variation of "how was Lesotho?" or "what did you think/like/etc.". And I honestly don't know. There are many conflicting thoughts, ideas, and feelings, and I don't know where to start. For one thing, there's the size of our team. One team member, Chyanna, our resident Canadian, became sick during home stays, and had to return to South Africa. While there, having wifi, she received news of her family and some struggles there. Through much prayer, she decided to return home. The timing was such that none of us were able to say goodbye. We all miss her terribly, but we know she's where she needs to be right now, and we're praying for her everyday. So 13 is now 12, and tomorrow it will be 11. Drew, our team leader thus far, will not join us in Namibia, and instead will travel to Mozambique to lead a 1 month team there. We will likely see him before we return to the US, but it will still be an interesting adjustment. We'll all miss him, with his quiet wisdom, clever humor, and strong leadership. There are also 2 others, Sara and Jarod Hale, who have been interning for Experience Mission here in Southern Africa for the last 2 years. They have returned to the US for training, and won't be back until July. While not technically part of the team, they have been with us on every stage of this journey since our arrival here in February, and have given us joy, encouragement, laughter, wisdom, and so much more. On the other hand, our group has also (sort of) increased. The van Wyk family (pronounced fon vike) has also been with us since our arrival. More than that, they've opened their home to us, providing food, shelter, wifi, training, and transportation. Not to mention genuine love, encouragement, prayer, and wisdom, woven through simple conversation and relationship. They have blessed us in innumerable ways, and are now continuing to do so by joining us in Namibia for a time. The adults may not really be part of the team paperwork wise, but I can't imagine us without them. Let me return to Lesotho, now having explained some of the sorrow and excitement. Home stays finished up last Friday, and we returned to Growing Nations campus (although the students stayed home for a few more days). We met up in Mohale's Hoek, and had lunch (and wifi) at a hotel there (one of the few places that will fit all of us). Paige and I took a taxi (15 passenger van which can always hold more than 15) about an hour into town after waiting for the rest of the seats to fill up. The moment we stopped in town, the taxi was swarmed with other drivers, taking bags to have a foothold to ask where the owners were going. After retrieving our bags, we walked to the hotel, and the joy of seeing our friends was overwhelming. I'm sure I didn't stop smiling until the next day as we shared the joys, struggles, and funny stories of home stays, and continued to do so over the next several days as we got back into life at Growing Nations. During those last few days, we picked more beans, and continued to connect with the staff and students. On Saturday 4 of the team myself included) again climbed Snake Mountain, successfully making it to the summit in time for sunrise (3rd times a charm), and on Sunday attended the local church for the last time. They welcomed us warmly with dancing and singing 5 weeks before, and our goodbye was the same, although bittersweet. On Wednesday morning, we left in a taxi headed for the border at 7. Most of the staff and students were awake and came out to say goodbye and pray us off even as we prayed for them and the country of Lesotho. As we drove towards the border over the next hour, I thought about our time there. I wondered how life would be now that we've gone, naturally back to the way it was in many ways, but would there be something different? I wondered, did I do what I was meant to do? To show Christ, to share his love, and leave myself behind? Did I push myself to go beyond what was comfortable to me, and really live in the present? Did I find the kingdom of God there and work alongside them tirelessly to build it up? Did I pour into them more than I had? Did I go the extra mile and look for places to serve and love them? Did I truly seek God and his will daily, following him in every way? If I was being honest, none of the above answers are 100% yes. I'm not perfect, it's true, this is proof. I love Lesotho, and the people. I did find Christ and the kingdom there, and I left part of my soul there. Could o have done better? Absolutely, and I regret not doing better, not doing more. If I let it, I could sit for days and list hundreds of ways I could have done differently, and I could let it push me into the ground. But I won't do that. Christ wants to lift that burden from me, and he has. I know where I need to improve, with the team, with the next leg of the journey, and in the relationships I made in Lesotho. And he will be with me, guiding me through it all, because he is faithful, even when I screw up. So, Lesotho, was a time of ups and downs, in every sense. God is working mightily there, and I was both honored and privileged to join in for a time. The work will continue, and I can't wait to see the beautiful harvest. Matthew 9:37-38 "Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest that he will send forth laborers into his harvest.""

[masstoafrica1-blog]

Lesotho: The Kingdom of Mountains, Valleys, and Lessons

Note: Written on Tuesday, April 25, 2017. Posted on Friday, April 28, 2017. Hello from Lesotho! I apologize for not having posted in several weeks. Here, there is no wifi, nor is there electricity here in our home stays. To post this, I have to go to the hotel in town, an hour away by taxi (after the hour hike to the river, the half hour boat ride, and the half hour taxi to the taxi ring). We have been here for about 4 1/2 weeks, and it is wildly different from South Africa, or really almost anything I've ever known. Our first 2 1/2 weeks were spent at a place called Growing Nations (GN), a ministry within Africa Inland Mission (AIM). There is some electricity here from the solar panels, but it usually goes out shortly after supper. There is also running water with several taps outside for laundry (done in buckets) or filling water bottles. During our time there, we helped to farm. I think I can officially call myself a professional bean harvester and thresher. On Sunday of the second week, the students arrived back at campus, who are also those we are living with currently. The students consistently go back and forth between home and GN, putting what they learned into practice on their own fields, still providing for their families. Myself and another teammate, Paige, are living in a small mountainside village called Habeka, with our host student/sister Khabane "Ambo" Adoro and her family. There are a couple of village taps for water, one being only a couple houses down. Each family has a toilet or outhouse. Since our family is fairly spread out, the one we use is up the hill. The house above us on the hill has electricity for a deep freezer, which the whole community pays to use when needed. The school is on the other side of the mountain, and I do not envy them the daily hikes to and from it. To get to the village from the road, you must first go down the hill to the skate (rowboat), and then climb back up the other side. After that, there are several paths to choose from, all meandering around fields, gulleys (gongas), and rocks. Getting here with a 50 pound backpack in the rain was something like a long treacherous mudslide at parts, strenuous and difficult from the incline. I'm not looking forward to the hike back in 3 days. On past teams, members have said that their time in Lesotho was the most challenging. I cannot in any way dispute that. To say the least, it has been a learning experience. I thank God everyday that I have been paired with Paige also, who has had to put up with me daily for the last week and a half. (Sorry Paige, I know it's rough.) There are 2 things that I have struggled with the most. Anyone who knows me probably knows that I am an introvert. I love my family and friends and meeting new people, and I love being with them, but I need time alone. Time to think, read, pray, sing, just to be by myself and recharge. That does not exist here. The three of us (Khabane, Paige, and I) bathe together (separate buckets, same room), walk to the toilet together, eat together, hike together, sit together, even sleep together (also with Oete her little sister). The closest I have come to being alone is waking up before them and staying up late journaling. Don't get me wrong, I love Paige and I love Khabane and her family and all of the friends and relations we meet every day. I love laughing with them, playing with the village kids, the randomness in each day, and the huge funny differences between all of our lives. But writhing all of those things, I have also gained a new appreciation for solitary silence, and I cherish the few minutes I get. The second thing I've struggled with is also pretty clear. It's not always the easiest thing for me to take instruction. It's easy to do it when the person giving it is clearly in authority over you or has more knowledge or experience than you do. When the subject of discussion is yourself however, it gets considerably harder, especially when nothing can convince them otherwise. For example, the first week here in Habeka, I would hear the following at least once a day: "Mpho, you are cold! You must put the jacket on!" (Mpho is my Sesotho name, meaning gift.) Now, I have no idea what the official temperature is here, but it's still hot. Most of the time, I was close to sweating, so the last thing I wanted to do was put on a jacket. It's right up there with eating chili chutney. Naturally, I told them that no, I am not cold. But after 20 minutes of trying to convince them of that, I still had to put on a jacket. There are many more examples. Tired, cold, hungry, thirsty, hot, not to mention my choice of jeans and sandals. Looking back, I know that they are just trying (really really hard) to take care of me. My reactions at that point weren't always from that perspective, and I quickly became short, stubborn, and internally angry. I knew that was the wrong way to be. Taking advantage of our long daily walks to and from the river and the shops on the other side, I would get in lots of time in prayer. Mostly telling God how annoyed and angry I was, then trying to refocus on something else. I did need to refocus, but not on the good things, not on the parts I liked, not on the past or the future. I needed to refocus on Christ. Our team leader, Drew, asked us Friday how we had both seen and shown Christ. I didn't like my answer. When I thought about it, I had seen a lot of Christ, especially in Oete and their grandma. But I couldn't find anything to say that I had shown Christ. That's why I'm here, to show Christ, to share his love and be an example of the coming kingdom, and I had failed miserably. While my attitude has shifted and my focus has again returned to Christ, I'm still forcing myself to answer that question everyday. Often, I still don't like my answer, knowing that I could have done better, that I must do better. Thankfully, my God is a God of grace, mercy, and forgiveness, none of which are in short supply. So, in the morning, I will try again, and again, and again, to show Christ and his love to my host family and friends. I have two more full days left to keep going, two more days where Christ is the center, and the possibilities are endless. John 3:30 - "He must increase, and I must decrease."

[masstoafrica1-blog]

Magnify the Lord with Me

Man, these two weeks have flown by. It is insane to think that we've been here for almost a month and a half, and that our time in South Africa is almost at an end. In the last couple of weeks, well, it's been the same, but as I continue in my relationships and friendships at the school and in my host family, I can see God at work so clearly. I've still taught at least half of the time. I still tell them the same story at least once a week per request. And, I still attempt to learn Zulu. (Notice the attempt, and imagine 15 kids busting out laughing and dragging their friends over to hear me repeat a word they just taught me.) However, in the familiarity, there has been change and surprise as well. First, last week, I took 3 kids aside sitting class because they hadn't done their math homework. Here, they do math horizontally, 2+2=4. Upon seeing their struggles, I have taught several of them the vertical way. One of these kids, Satcha, has always been behind in class, and also doesn't really know how to read or do math very well. Before I even finished writing the problem, she had the answer! No counting, no guessing, no cheating, just instantly she understood. The rest of the homework was a breeze! I later took Bhanele aside for English, and he has begun to recognize letters and their sounds. It's still mainly memorization, but he can now get the answers without having to read the entire page for each problem, and he can find a letter within a word by saying the word. I was so proud of them!!! Second, this past Monday there was a march on the highway outside of Olievenhoutbosch. As they not only were marching on the road, but also throwing rocks, burning tires and allowing no cars to get through, we did not go to school, and instead spent the day at our community partners house. It ended up being a really good thing too, not just for safety reasons, but also because several of us needed an extra day to just rest. Spending some time in the Word, in prayer, in serious conversation, or investing in a nap, it was definitely good to have an extra unexpected day of time together. Thirdly, and the most surprising, was the departure of a mentor that we all have grown close to, Happy. Today, Saturday, was game day, where all of the kids from the township are invited for games, dancing, food, and to hear the Gospel at the school. I don't remember seeing such a mass of kids before. There was no room to dance in assembly, at least not without tripping over 10 kids in the process! Around the middle of game day, just after dancing, Happy came around to as many of us as he could find, giving us a hug and saying goodbye. When he came around to me, I said, "But we'll see you on Monday, yeah?" "No, I'm going home, I won't be there next week." I knew he meant he was going to Malawi, and since next week is our last week in that township, we will likely never see each other again in this lifetime. This realization hit me like a brick. I was completely shocked. Within that, I also realized, we only have one week left at the school. I practically ran to my room when we got back, and within a few minutes I was lying on my bed shaking and crying. In the last 2 1/2 months, never have I wanted to call home so badly. Just to hear a friend or family members voice, and pretend as though I'm not 8,000 miles away. I don't miss being home, I miss being with the people at home, my friend and family, talking, laughing, just hanging out. I wasn't able to push this homesick feeling aside as I usually can. I knew I needed to let it out, so I turned on "Magnify" by We Are Messengers, and thought, and cried, and listened. I've always connected with this song ever since I first heard it on the radio, but today, listening to it repeatedly, God gave me some new perspectives. The first one requires a little bit of backtrack. I have prayed these lyrics for myself so often in the last year, and similar prayers before that. In our time in New York City, a friend asked me, "What 2 things do you want God to change on this trip and why?" One of my answers was to trust God more. I mean, I almost gave up on coming here and following God's will for me because I didn't trust he would get me here. So my desire was literally for him to "take it all away" and "God, be greater than the worries in my life, be stronger than the weakness in my mind, let your glory come alive, be magnified". And that is exactly what he has done. He has taken me out of my comfort zone in so many indescribable ways. He has removed me from my support system. He has stripped me of my ideas of education, hope, faith, unity, love, joy, and peace, and is replacing them with his own. He has taken away everything I could be thinking about and made himself the focus. In that last statement lies the second perspective. After receiving the aforementioned view, I opened a randomly marked page and read 2 Chronicles 29. Verse 25 reads, "And the Lord magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed upon him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel." The definition of magnify is "to praise highly; to glorify; to show honor to God, to make greater." In verse 25, God magnifies Solomon, and made him great in the queue of all of his people. As a result, the Israelites not only believed he was a great man, but they also followed and trusted him in the coming days and years. Not just because he was kid, but because in being magnified by the Lord, he was proven to be wise, and righteous, and worthy of their trust and obedience. It was at that point more than heritage and riches. It was honour and love. It was the ability and willingness to "blindly trust" even when they didn't know the end or the reason. We as Christians are called to magnify the Lord. Not to make him bigger, as he is infinite, but to make him bigger in our lives. To praise him, honour him, and bless him, because he is worthy. Not only this, but to make him our focus, to see him for how great and good he really is. John Piper said in a sermon a few years ago, "We are not called to be microscopes, but telescopes." My God is not small enough to fit under a microscope, and if I look at him that way I will never truly understand his beauty, glory, power, and love. Rather, I must look at him as though through a telescope, which brings the far off galaxies and stars into focus so that we can see their beauty and their characteristics, so that we can learn from them, and so that we can wonder in amazement at how complex they are compared to the tiny dots we once called fireflies. In truly magnifying God, making him our focus and living for him, we also inherently trust him, because we see more and more that he is trustworthy. We begin to love him and grow closer to him, because we see how much he loves us and wants us with him. We follow him, "blindly", because we cannot see the plan, or the reason, or the end. Instead, we see the Planner, the Creator, whom we already love and trust. We rest in awesome wonder of the knowledge "that all things will work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Indeed, "I don't need to see everything, just more of you." Psalm 34:1-8 "I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be on my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see them at the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him."

[masstoafrica1-blog]

Funding, Serving, and a Lesson in Love

Wow. Where to start? The past week has been a blast, full of struggles, triumphs, and lessons.

First of all, thank you for praying, donating, and helping me organize over the last several months. Thanks to you, I was 75% funded in time to go to training and begin this journey. In order to continue this journey beyond the first week of February though, I need to be 100% funded. Right now, I have about $700 left to go. I would encourage you to pray, and consider donating towards this trip. Every little bit counts, and I am hoping and praying for each of you as you travel the paths the Lord has laid out for you.

Last Friday we drove from our training in Indiana out here to New York City. My group ended up missing a turn and taking a detour through Michigan, which everyone kept calling Massachusetts. During the drive, we took turns telling our life stories, switching the music, and having dance parties. When we finally got here (2-3 hours after everyone else), we were so exhausted we just went to bed.

While we’re in NYC, we are staying with the Salvation Army. Our teams typically get split up 3 different ways. The first group works in Harlem, first at a nursery, and then at an after school program. The second group goes to Brooklyn Bay Ridge, where they do physical labor in the morning, and help with an after school program that runs Tuesday through Thursday. The third group (where I am) works in the food pantry and soup kitchen downstairs until about 1:30, then we split up to go to one of the after school programs in either Harlem or Brooklyn.

For the soup kitchen, we go downstairs around 8, and we are all assigned various jobs, such as sweeping and mopping the hall, arranging place settings, scooping that days fruit into bowls, folding plates, making bags to hand out from the food pantry, and sorting paperwork. There is generally a break for lunch around 10:30-11:30, after which we get our lunch assignments. So far, I’ve been on plates, which is simply giving each guest the main course and seconds (if there is enough left). Seconds aren’t generally served until 12:45. The first day, there were over 170 people who came in. We actually ran out of food! It was surprisingly busy. Ed, who manages the soup kitchen and food pantry, is kind and quietly funny, and constantly makes sure that we’re all right while we work. He does his best to keep us busy too. Luke, the janitor in the building, is possibly one of the happiest people you could meet. He always has a smile on his face, and loves to talk and laugh with us. He is from Trinidad, has three daughters, and never complains. Mariano, the cook for the soup kitchen, is from the Dominican Republic, and although he is quieter than Luke, he is just as friendly and outgoing.

After the soup kitchen, there are three of us who head out to join the second group in Brooklyn at the after school program. The kids range from 7 to 18. Later on in the day there are different set programs, but when it starts, we help with homework. After that, the options are practically unlimited. There is a small gym where we can play, and on nicer days we might be able to go out for a walk. There are toys in the back of the room for the younger kids, or you can just sit and hang out with them. Many of the kids in this program have come from Syria in the last several years, and there are some who know up to 3 languages. I’ve really started to get to know some of the girls there. I met 3 more in the group on Wednesday. On Tuesday I was introduced to 2 little girls who wore identical outfits (except for their shoes). They look exactly the same, despite their one year age difference. Lilia and Eliana are very sweet, and are part of those that have come from Syria. Lilia (the older of the two) actually loves Harry Potter, and is in the process of reading the fifth book in the series. One little girl in second grade stuck by me both days as soon as she found out my name. Her name is Melanie, and we each get called the others name every time we meet someone new. She and her sister, Crystal, are traveling to California for a week, and they will not be there when I return to the program on Tuesday.

On Thursday’s, instead of doing either the soup kitchens or the after school programs, we all go to a place called the Common Pantry. These people go out of their way to uphold the dignity of those they help. Each family they help is registered and given an ID card, which lists their specific biweekly pickup times. They can order online or in person, and they get to choose what they would like from what the pantry has. When they arrive, they come through the line, show their ID card, place an order (if they haven’t already done so), and pickup their groceries. When it’s a little slower, we get the opportunity to talk with some of the people there, and learn about their lives and their stories. Yesterday was pretty busy, and I was hopping between a few positions all day. Shoppers fill the orders and bring it to the customers in line. When there are no orders to fill and no customers waiting, we restock the table and bag produce, bread and eggs. The people who volunteer there are all very kind and gifted with people. There is one woman, Claire, who is very funny and sarcastic. She is loud, jokes a lot, and is very animated. She constantly insists that she doesn’t like you or anyone else, but you can tell in her eyes that she truly loves everyone around her.

In the last week, there was a Bible study started in the morning before we all go off to our assignments. Wednesday morning, I had the privilege of being a part of it. We looked at 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter. As we discussed it, my team leader, Drew, said something that really resonated with me. He said that he had been working somewhere in between trips, and that he was always doing something to serve his coworkers. He realized a few weeks into it, that none of his coworkers realized that he was doing those things because he loved them. “I was focusing more on the task list and doing things than I was on loving and having a relationship with them”. This is so true in my own life. Instead of taking the time to get to know people and talk with them, I put my head down and find something to do for them. While serving is a way to show love, there are so many other ways to express that. And all too often, I forfeit friendships, because what I do isn’t seen as love, it’s seen as boredom, or restlessness, or just something to keep me busy. I’ve also come to see how I do this even in my relationship with Christ. I focus more on going to church, and being a good person, than actually knowing and following Christ every day. Looking back with that knowledge, I can see how that has crippled me. On the outside, I appear the good, quiet Christian, but on the inside, I am an empty list of rules and tasks.

How do I get away from that? In the coming days and weeks, I’ll be doing my best to focus on getting to know people, and building relationships with them. Focusing less on what I can do, and more on how I can love. Listening to the stories of the people around me, and “reading the air”, or “between the lines”. Reaching more to understand, than to be busy.

1 Corinthians 13:1-8a “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as a sounding bras or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits me nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not arrogant. It is not rude, it does not insist on its own way, it is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Loves never fails.”

[brennawithoutborders-blog]

The End

Wow. So friends, this is it.  The end of the journey. I have been home for almost a week now.  It has been a transition in many ways.  Adjusting back to American culture after living in the Caribbean for six months is really going to take some time.

I find myself appreciating little things that I never would have paid any attention to before I left.  For example, how lucky am I that I have clean, drinking water that comes out of every faucet in my house! Whenever I want!  I don’t have to sleep in a bug net.  I can take a hot shower.  I can drive anywhere I want, whenever I want.  So much to be thankful for and truly appreciate.  

There is such a hype around “going home”.  When we say we are going home, everyone usually pictures the house you grew up in, your family, friends, all your things.  But I think “going home” means something different for everyone.  For me, it was getting to see my parents and my dog.  I think that after my trip, my definition of home has changed.  The word home for me is where my family is; it’s where love is. In a sense I have five homes now.  Two in Jamaica, one in Belize, one in Costa Rica, and one in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania.  

These people became my family.  They took me in, loved me, taught me their ways, and accepted me as their own.  To me, thats home.  

It gives me such a warm fuzzy feeling to know that even though I am home, a piece of my heart lingers in each of those countries.  I love my house, my bed, my shower, and all my stuff. However, none of those things really cultivate the actually meaning of being home.  Home is where the people who love you most are.  

I have a feeling that this trip has only been the beginning.  In years to come I have a feeling I will find new places to call home; leaving little pieces of my heart all around the globe.