As I sit in the Lord's presence this morning, I am overcome with thanksgiving for Him and His love for me. He has brought me so far over the past year– through many valleys and over many mountaintops. Last Thanksgiving I was in Kenya celebrating this American holiday with my teammates & our new African family for the month (read last year's blog here). It was a joyful occasion despite missing the heck out of my family and the comforts of home. Over the course of the year I spent overseas, I missed my family & friends so much it hurt at times, especially during the holidays. The sequence of events since I returned home almost 6 months ago has been difficult, frustrating, and very hard to understand much of the time. I thought things would play out differently. I had expectations. And as I sit in the peaceful presence of our Creator, I get a glimpse of all He has in store. Despite the confusion & disappointment of the past few months, He's given me 6 amazing months with my family– the family that I longed for over the past year. He's given me the faith to keep coming back to Him when I want to give up… and most importantly He's given me a fighting spirit to keep expecting the very best because that's what we all deserve. It's usually our choice & our lack of faith that causes us to settle for less than He has for us, and we are all guilty of it.
For those of you who don't know, I'm moving into a new season, a new job, a new city. I accepted a position with the one-and-only McAlpine Tankersley Architecture in Montgomery, Alabama where I'll be settling in next week! Not only will I be living close to my family, but I'll have the blessing of going to work each day & being a part of this amazing creative family too. God opened a door & I walked through it. I can't wait to see what all He has in store.
Some of the things I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving:
-my personal relationship with my Creator
-not having to eat African goat at the holidays
-being with family
-looking out at the Gulf of Mexico
-hanging out with my puppy dog
-cool weather
-all of the precious people in Africa & Asia who changed my life forever
