Timescales like NASCAR

It scares me to death that I could live a distracted life. My time here in South Africa is flying by faster than the speed of light. Well, maybe not that fast, but probably the speed of an average NASCAR driver. I think about returning home, which mind you ‘home’ has two meanings. Home home means Brainerd. Singular home means Mankato. I miss and adore both places and the people that make them ‘home’ to me. This is quite comforting. I love waking up at home home and Dad’s already worked out, shoveled the driveway, checked emails, ran the dog, shot a few squirrels off the deck and is now having breakfast along with the news. The rest of humanity wakes up at a normal hour, which means, I get to wake up Mom! I run and jump on the bed then we chat and chat until one decides to start brewing the coffee downstairs. Likewise, I miss cruising around in my car with the windows down (no matter the season) and singing along with Taylor Swift and 2pak in Mankato. I’m either going to the rock wall to get my climb on, New Creation to get my worship on, Caribou to get my study on, or grandma/grandpas place to get my visit on. These places have a special place in my heart, but I feel quite strongly that neither will be my destination after graduation. Mind you, graduation is one year away. I have absolutely zero zip zilch idea where in this wide world I will be. Right now, it’s dawning on me that leaving all of this behind will be hard. I think Gods allowing me to start the grieving process early. I’m terrified that I could settle for something less than Gods best. We only have this one life, this small puff-of-smoke life. We are asked to give it to Him and he’ll do more than we could ever imagine. It terrifies me that I have the choice to seek after my own will or Gods will…. that I even have that choice. Well, I could keep going on about this, but I think you understand what’s been racking my brain lately.

            Today I met up with a mission team from Florida and we went into Mzamonhle. This is my favorite thing, just being with those people. I feel an obscure sense of joy when just turning down the main street. There is one paved road through the township, and the rest of the shacks are huddled off dirt and grass paths. The first woman we visited was 97 years old. Her favorite thing is to dance and sing, so that’s what we did! She was holding her grandbaby when we arrived, then she stood up, put the baby on her back, grabbed a walking stick and started dancing. We brought food and prayed for her and her family. Although she was tiny and brittle, her eyes blazed with the most powerful strength. Just walking down the streets offer many interesting events, like children calling out “Emilee” and herds of pigs taking over our path. We visit another woman that was very sick. She is HIV positive and doesn’t have the drive to pick up her medication anymore. We visited with her for a while, gave her bags of food, prayed for her and encouraged her to keep picking up her medication. The group from Florida came with two professional soccer players/coaches. The soccer team was thrilled to have them. They brought a soccer ball for each child and lots of gear for the players. The soccer team meets everyday afterschool at CATCH. The team is only staying for a week, but it’s been a blessing to get to know them. As we traveled through those shacks, I wondered, what else could be greater than this? When we meet with the sick, the broken, the strong, the hurt, the weary… and you get to know them, you would do anything to help them. My Xhosa word for the day is Vuyo. It means happy!

Goodnight all!

Xoxo