Four years ago today, I was deciding whether or not to go on my first trip to Iraq on a medical team. I decided yes, and I went. A few months after that, I left my beloved job working as a PICU Respiratory Therapist, and took a "one-year" leave-of-absence to volunteer full time in Kenya.
Today, I have spent the morning writing e-mails to people who have been sponsoring me in Kenya, to let them know they can stop donating because I have enough funds to see me through to March. Now I'm thinking of what to say to the girls Bible study group when I meet with them this evening. A season of my life is ending. I have been crying all morning long.
Yes, they are tears of sadness, because I will desperately miss this place, the people here, my friends, and especially the kids. Preparing to leave and thinking of saying goodbye is the worst. I will be doing a lot of reflecting over the next 2 1/2 months.
This is not to say that I have nothing to look forward to! I know God has great plans, because of all I have experienced up to this point. I won't pretend to know that lies ahead of me for the next four years, because I could never have imagined what I have just experienced over the past four. I'm starting a new course, and God will change it and mold it as usual.
I am coming to terms and coping with the stress of drastically changing course again, and starting a whole new scary, challenging, journey into the unknown. This is going to be a cake walk! And when I say cake walk, I mean there will be a lot of cake-eating, followed by a lot of walking to undo the consequences of this epic cake-eating.
To everyone else who is facing great changes this year - my advice is to cling tight to God, and eat more cake. =)
Today, I have spent the morning writing e-mails to people who have been sponsoring me in Kenya, to let them know they can stop donating because I have enough funds to see me through to March. Now I'm thinking of what to say to the girls Bible study group when I meet with them this evening. A season of my life is ending. I have been crying all morning long.
Yes, they are tears of sadness, because I will desperately miss this place, the people here, my friends, and especially the kids. Preparing to leave and thinking of saying goodbye is the worst. I will be doing a lot of reflecting over the next 2 1/2 months.
This is not to say that I have nothing to look forward to! I know God has great plans, because of all I have experienced up to this point. I won't pretend to know that lies ahead of me for the next four years, because I could never have imagined what I have just experienced over the past four. I'm starting a new course, and God will change it and mold it as usual.
I am coming to terms and coping with the stress of drastically changing course again, and starting a whole new scary, challenging, journey into the unknown. This is going to be a cake walk! And when I say cake walk, I mean there will be a lot of cake-eating, followed by a lot of walking to undo the consequences of this epic cake-eating.
To everyone else who is facing great changes this year - my advice is to cling tight to God, and eat more cake. =)
