Can I get an amen???

Just when I thought all hope was lost, Jesus interrupts my life with love, abundant love! I often overlook how much God loves me, and you, and the rest of the world (even the tiny little critters crawling around on my floor as we speak.) This past week was probably the busiest week I’ve had since being in Africa. I have to admit, my spirits were down. I was discouraged, emotionally/physically exhausted, and I was missing my family and friends. I was also feeling as if I were making very little difference in the lives of others, which made my heart hurt.

On Tuesday, I came home to find an empty house with no electricity. As the sun was setting and the night was approaching, I became bored, slightly scared, and weary from work. With no one to turn to, and nothing to do, I decided I would spend some alone time with Jesus. I know how that sounds, like Jesus was my last resort, but I had lately been feeling frustrated with God, and was in need of a night of worship and complete solitude with my savior. In our time spent together, Christ began to work in me, once again. For the most part, I have lived a great life, not a perfect life by any means, but a good one for sure. However, throughout the years, there have been people who have come in and out of my life and left me feeling half whole at times. There were things that I had been holding on to, from past relationships. Bitterness, hurt, guilt, and pain that I had carried within my heart, all the way from the states to Africa. For some reason, these things had been weighing on my mind lately, as well as before I left for Africa. I knew I needed to settle them with God before I left the country but I just never seemed to find "the right place or time!" Or maybe that was just an excuse because I didn't want to deal with them. As I began to cry out to the Lord, he began to break my heart even more than before, but this time, not only did he break me, he began to heal my heart. There in the dark, I saw the light and found the hope I was searching for. It was refreshing, restoring, and God was redeeming me. I felt happy and whole. Complete in Christ. I began to realize that I did not come to Africa to teach, I came to Africa to learn how to love. How to love Christ more, how to love people better, and how to love myself again. I know Satan will still attack me, because I firmly believe that when we are living our lives for Christ the most, he attacks us the worse. I mean, it makes sense. Christ came to give us life and life to the fullest. Satan came to kill, steal, and destroy. But at least now I know, I don't have to carry the weight of those sins any longer. I am so thankful for the freedom I find in Christ every time I surrender my life to him. I have spent a great deal of time with Jesus over the years, but this time was different, this time was perhaps the best time I’ve ever spent with him, definitely in the top ten list!

In further news: Christ brought me two new short term girls this week to work with over the course of the next 2 months, and they are AWESOME! Keely is from North Dakota and Rebecca is from England, and has a lovely British accent, that is slowly starting to rub off on me. My childhood best friends, Caroline and Megan, will be arriving to Kenya shortly, and then I’ll be moving to Machakos the first of July, before returning home in August! My God is so faithful and good. He supplies all my needs and so much more! How sweet it is to be loved by Him J