Here is a video that Brody made of month 9 in Tanzania. It's weird thinking that we were in Africa just a couple weeks ago, living in our sweat and long skirts, bucket showering with dirty water, and talking about everything we were going to eat when we get home as we were eating every meal of rice of beans. After living in Latvia where it's cold and sleeping in a bed in an apartment with a kitchen, shower, and western toilet… the past 9 months in Asia and Africa already begin to not feel real. I'd also like to emphasize (mostly for myself in the future) how much we sweat for 9 months strait (which you can never really tell in the videos). And we sure did go out with a bang cause Tanzania was one of the hottest countries! I think I say that about every country each month but seriously… if I just stood in the sun not moving for more than 2 minutes, my skin would start to burn.
Regardless of the less than ideal situations I have lived in the past year, I wouldn't trade it for anything! I've met some phenomenal people along the way, had exciting adventures as well as difficult challenges, gained many brothers and sisters, grown in ways I might not even come to realize until later in life, solidified my identity in the Lord, recognized God's love for me in deeper ways, sweat a lot ;), had a lot of fun, been incredibly frustrated and confused, gotten extremely sick, and developed a new found love of vegetables! I could probably add to that list forever but if I had to sum up my race in one sentence is would be this:
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself." Mark 12:30-31
