I miss driving

You people in America probably don't even enjoy driving all that much, but let me tell you that it is a wonderful gift. It is a fun thing. I miss it so much. I didn't realize how much I missed it until I drove about one mile tonight in Julie's car. It was beautiful. I felt so free! So, next time you are driving, thank the Lord that you have a car and that you have freedom to go wherever you want in that car! You are blessed.

Who Am I?

I am a mother to some of these motherless children, a friend to everyone, a teacher to my class, a lifeguard to the students of our school, a missionary of the Lord, a discipler to Ncobile, Nomvula, and Fikelephi, a traveler of the world, a follower and disciple of Christ, a student of everyone and everything around me, a work in progress, a photographer of the things I see, a cook for “my family,” a piece of clay being formed and reformed, a writer of my life and experiences, a counselor to these children, a leader, a follower, a woman.
It depends on the day and the time and the moment…but at one point or another I am one or many of these things everyday. I am learning so much in my life. I am learning about myself. I am learning about others. I am learning about God. I am being stretched sometimes more than I could have imagined I would be stretched. I am being challenged all of the time. I am working hard. I am building relationships. I am forming unbreakable bonds. I am constantly learning. I am experiencing life abundantly and I am loving it. (Most of the time anyway).
I am dependent on Jesus Christ. I truly rely on him for my strength. He is my provider. He is my counselor, friend, teacher. So things are good.

Highlights From The Past Week

• Megan (Megan and Carl are a young married missionary couple here. They have a 4 year old daughter, have been here one year, and will be here at least 4 more) had her baby and they named him Nathan after much discussion and debate on the topic. He was born and without a name for the entire first day of his life, so we were all calling him Noname Vonderhaar. He is beautiful and perfect and precious and tiny and healthy.
  
• The ABC children’s home received a new baby about a month old and I have been going up most evenings to hold her and feed her. She is tiny and precious also. She was abandoned and found, I believe, in a bush-near the Mozambique/Swaziland border. She was dehydrated and taken to the hospital…and then Robyn and Jerry (founders of ABC) were called. She’s doing so well now!
  
• Spent last Saturday afternoon at ABC playing cards, ping pong, chatting, holding the baby, etc. It was super fun and I am excited about spending more time with the kids this year.
  
• Church Sunday night was awesome and we had many kids come up to say that they want to be a God seeking generation. I was praying over Ncobile and she started sobbing-I could feel her shaking so I knew she was crying-She turned to me and I held her as she wrapped her arms around me just wept into my chest. It broke my heart. We went outside to talk and she sobbed for so long-her tears were streaming down my chest. She told me that her dad left her home alone when she was 6 and didn’t come back-so she crawled out the window and went to her aunt’s house-and she’s never seen her dad since. She went to the Jacaranda girls’ home soon after and has been there ever since. She’s now 12. She is so special to me…I can’t explain it…but we have a special bond. She is a quiet girl, but she is really beginning to open up to me and I love that she is able to do that.
  
• Saturday night we had a bring and share with all of the teachers…we watched “Lean on Me.” It was good fun. A night of inspiration!
  
• My mp3 player got stolen last Friday when I was playing squash. I thought it would have been returned/found by now because the battery is surely dead and now it’s of no use to anyone else. Shame.
  
• Watermelon. So good. So summery. Simply stunning.
  
• I feel like God is growing me and challenging me in patience and selflessness. Two areas in which I will never “arrive,” but will always be developing.