AFRICAAAAAA!!

I can't believe it but I'm finally back on African soil...  We (Zack, Nick, mom and I) just arrived in Johannesburg and we will drive to Swaziland in the morning...  THAT'S where I'm really excited to get back too!

Hopefully I'll be able to access the internet in Swaziland also, so I'll be able to blog throughout the week...  It is a week that is packed full... 

But as I start this trip, I want to back up for a minute and tell you about getting ready for this trip...  For some reason, getting ready for this trip was hard...  It was overwhelming with all that we were trying to bring for the community...  And then making sure that 3 of us had all we needed, instead of just packing for myself...  And then the thought of leaving Scott and the girls was even harder than usual...

But a few months ago, my mom sent me to her friend's blog who is preparing to move to Kenya...  She was writing about the stress of it and something her very wise teeanage son said to her...  He compared it to the warm-up period before his soccer games...  How he didn't like the warm-up exercises...  the drills...  the nerves...  but when the whistle sounded, all of that was forgotten and it was all worthwhile because he loved the game so much!

God definitely blessed me with that thought for the last two weeks...  I have reminded myself over and over that when the whistle sounds, it will all be worth it because I love this country so much...

Mission trips are hard...  overwhelming...  expensive...  stressful... even scary...  but that's just the warm-up period...  the time when the enemy will do anything he can to discourage you and try and keep you from going... 

But I can tell you first hand...  there is no greater joy than when the whistle blows and you get to go into the 'game!'  It is life changing...  Yes, I'm sure God uses us to bless others lives, but I've found over and over that He uses the people I've come to serve to bless me and change me in ways I can't even imagine...

It's just minutes now until the whistle blows and I am so excited to get back to see the people that I have grown to love so much...  People who have become a part of me...  And even more, I can't wait to see what God does...

Is there a 'game' that God is asking you to get into?  It may not be Africa...  it might be the neighbor next door, or the local rescue mission... but I promise you, you will be blessed!  Well, off to bed!