Hello my wonderful support community!
Running this race has been one of the most life-giving experiences in all my life and I am excited to say that it is finally coming to an end. Zambia was the perfect place to wrap-up this nine month adventure. I have seen so much and experienced more things than I can explain.
Okay……….
I’m gonna get real for a second.
I am not very good at writing blogs. I always sit in front of my laptop for a good 15 minutes trying to figure out what I am going to say. I have gone through so much but I have found that it is much easier to speak life instead of write life. So here are some “I’m gonna get real for a second” statements:
*I can’t wait to get home and scrub my feet! One thing you learn while traveling is that you will NEVER have clean feet. They stink all the time and especially in Africa, there is dirt everywhere. We also lived in a village so that did not help.
*I am really craving meat and cheese. These two are very expensive in other countries and I think I’ll eat only these for about two months when I get home.
*It is freezing in the mornings here in Zambia….. Okay not freezing (sorry my Indiana homies) but so cold compared to how hot the day time is. The weather here is very strange. So I had two cups of tea this morning.
*I haven’t watched the news in nine months and here at our debrief hostel BBC news is on and it feels so good to catch up on the world.
*I am really excited to get home and have a sleep over with my siblings.
Yeah!
Those are some of my thoughts right now. I also am really excited about this new season I am jumping into. As of right now, my plans are to still continue my education in college this fall. I feel I am still going to pursue nursing and hopefully medical missions in the future. This summer is going to be really great. I have the opportunity to start fresh in good old Nappanee, Indiana. I am going to move out of my parents house and live with my sister. I also will be job searching right when I get home.
The Lord has taught me a lot about community here so I will be seeking Him more on how I can live this way at home
It is definitely going to take a while to completely process all that has happened but I would love to get together with any of you this summer to catch up. God has brought me into some glorious light and I would love to share that with you all. I will be pretty busy the first few weeks but after that shoot me a message and we can plan a time to meet. This is the very last week to kind of take a deep breath before jumping back into my American life, and then I fly into Chicago this Saturday May, 16th.
I cannot express how grateful I am for all of your support. I have truly felt all of your prayers. Jesus has blown me away with His grace and I am so excited to see you all again.
Thank you again my friends. I’ll see ya soon!
Much love,
Jessica
P.S. The name of this blog is actually the Zambian name I was given here. It is from the local tribal language TONGA and it means “tree.” 
