We leave Africa today. It doesn’t really feel real that my time here is already over. I have loved it so much, and the sweet faces I have encountered here over the last two months have changed my life forever.

We just finished month 7 and have 4 more months to go. It’s easy to slip into the month 6-8 slump, because let’s face it. We are tired. We’ve said goodbye to people we have loved over and over again. We’ve been sleeping on the floor. We just want to feel clean with clean clothes. We miss our family and friends. Mentally and physically it’s draining. 

 

But I’m saying see you later to the month 7 slump. Ain’t nobody got time for dat.

I have learned so much on this journey. So much about myself, so much about the world, so much about what’s important in life, so much about God. That I am in fact way stronger than I ever realized, that God is so faithful to me and people around the world. That love doesn’t have to be this big extravagant event. True love often looks like a friend giving you their granola bar they’d been saving or letting you borrow their headphones.  Love is all of the little things that happen from day to day that keep people going-those little things that let people people know they are cared about, they are thought of, they are loved. I want to be someone who does the little things. Who makes sure people know I love them through my actions and not just my words. Even if it means doing something as simple as sharing my chocolate bar. 

Sometimes I get so sick of the race. I miss what we all refer to as “normal life.” But to most of the world, this IS normal life. I know that the things I’ve learned are absolutely priceless and  are worth any amount of discomfort I’ve experienced. Because to learn to sit quietly and not feel alone is life changing. To learn that there’s a difference between loving people and loving people the way they need to be loved will change my relationships forever. To learn that love is in the small actions every single day is both humbling and empowering, because you realize that what you do does matter. To learn that God watches over me and loves me regardless of circumstance is liberating. To travel a world that many see as broken and only see hope is enlightening. To realize that I am so loved, so cared about, and that I can make a difference in the world- well that’s simply my definition of happy.

I will never forget the hungry faces of the people in India, a hunger that had nothing to do with food. I will never forget the laughter of the children running through the dry, dusty streets of Romania. I will never forget the redemption I saw in the faces of the men in Transnistria. I will never forget the passion I saw in Ireland, or the dedication I saw in Nepal. I will never forget the friendliness of those poor neighborhoods in South Africa. I will never forget the hope and love I experienced through the people in Swaziland.

Any amount of homesickness, loneliness, or discomfort is worth it. Because I am forever changed, and because of that change I know I will impact future lives for the better. People are so hopeful and sometimes all it takes is courage from another hopeful person to make a spark become a flame. God truly uses our experiences to shape who we become and I’m so thankful He chose me to experience these people in these places. 

So to the next 4 months…I welcome you. With open arms, open eyes, and an open heart. I’m ready to learn all you have to teach me and to savor every single moment as it comes. Because as I’ve learned over the last 7 months…time is fleeting and it goes so fast. But God can use just one of those fleeting seconds to change your life forever.

I’m ready.