Something a little different

This is a little bit of a different blog then I have written in the past but for some reason felt Like I should share….

To start though just a little bit of an update.  I am coming off a week of vacation which was really needed as I slept most of it a way.  Before that we had two weeks of recreational activities with the kids at the school, which was really nice.  I also took the teen girls that I work with to the movies and we had an awesome time.  Amidst everything they are going through and the weight I have on my heart for them and the feelings of overwhelmingness (I know its not a word) they really do bring me so much joy.

I did find a new apartment, which is a blessing.  It’s nice to have my own space.  I also know my neighbors down stairs and its nice spending time with their family and I have been going to their church and after almost two years I can finally say I have a church home.  It’s so nice walking into a church and having people to talk to and sit with.  One of my prayers has been to find friends outside the ministry, for two reasons, sometimes it’s nice to have a break from the people you see all the time and the other reason is I wanted more permanent friends, not ones that change every year, two years, six months as people come and go so that has been an answer to prayer.

Some not so good news is Laura, who went to live with her boyfriend and then back home, is back with her boyfriend for good, the moved to the coast and she dropped out of school.  Her older brother also went to the coast (they have family there) and also dropped out of school.  So now out of a family of 12 children, where 10 of them should be in school, only two are.  One of them is the twin sister of Laura, who is one of my girls, so please keep both of these girl in your prayers, and especially Luz, Laura’s sister as this has been a hard time for her.  All of the girls that I work with, when the graduate they will be the first one in their families to graduate and this is huge.  So please pray for them and for Luz, she is 15 but still only on grade 6 so she has away to go and I know this discourages her a lot, especially when she doesn’t have the encouragement of influence at home to keep at it.

So now what I feel like I need to share, I don’t know why, maybe kind of like a confession and sometimes just admitting things and sharing them helps a little bit.  I love my life here, I really do.  I know I am right where I am suppose to me, right where God wants me and if I had the option to come back home and live I wouldn’t take it.  I have been blessed with amazing friends here and even a family away from family…… but sometimes I get homesick.  Sometimes I miss home so much that I cry a little.  Sometimes I would pay a ridiculous amount of money to go home for even just a weekend.  Sometimes I would do anything just to have a hug from my mom, dad and brother.  Sometimes I would do anything just to spend a day with my niece and nephew.  I would do anything to spend a day with my friends back home that know me and love me and support me and encourage me.  Sometimes I would do anything just to have a Sunday at Capilano, singing hymns and going to first service.  I know and knew that these times come and go and sometimes some days are harder then other for no apparent reason and you just go to take them, you just got to let the tears flow and know that doesn’t mean that you don’t love what your doing or where your at or that it makes you a bad missionary, you just go to let them come and rest in Jesus.  I think that the lesson that I get out of this time and time again is really and truly how blessed I am to have you guys back home.  To have an awesome family, amazing friends and a supportive church family.  So thank you guys, I guess, I mean if you weren’t so awesome I wouldn’t miss you guys or get homesick.  No for real, thank you from the bottom of my heart and I can’t wait until we all get to heaven and you guys can see how your support and prayers and encouragement changed the lives of these kids, the impact they had on the kingdom of God.