I LOVE AFRICA!!!

"We're in Africa!"

Many of you know that as soon as I get to a new place, I pretty much fall in love with it and embrace every single aspect of that place. The moment I stepped off of the plane in Paris, I could not stop smiling and was so ready to just be a Parisian for 10 days! I love the challenge of a new culture and figuring out differences and similarities. We can learn so much from others and being thrown smack dab in the middle of things is so exhilarating for me. You feel so helpless and clueless at first, but once you push forward and are proactive in navigating a new place it becomes more and more like home.

Africa has not been this way for me at first. Some of you may know that it’s been hard for me to adjust here and the simple fact that I haven’t adjusted quickly has been hard for me. I have been frustrated, confused, and lonely even though I have so many people around me. I felt like I was just kind of existing here in Africa—I didn’t have that normal excitement and vigor for embracing another culture. It’s definitely something I’ve been praying about and I know many of you back home have been praying for me as well. Well, prayers have been answered, folks! I don’t know what happened, but Tuesday morning I woke up a new person. I was ready to take on the world and was enjoying every single aspect of my community here. The usual “OH MY GOSH! I’M IN AFRICA AND I’M LOVING EVERY SECOND OF IT!!!!” kicked in and I’ve been that way ever since! My housemates definitely noticed a change and I’m so excited! I don’t know why it took me so long to get to this point. Well, I kind of do…God taught me a lot through the past month and I would be happy to share that with you if you shoot me an email. But seriously guys, I am having the time of my life here in Africa now! Every single day (yes, it’s been 4, but that’s 4 more than before) I just get so excited to figure out life here in South Africa. I am thrilled to take on new challenges and to be content with what I’ve been given here in so many different aspects. Wow, it’s crazy!

Wednesday evening we went out to Camps Bay to watch the sunset over the ocean and then get sushi for dinner. I don’t think I stopped smiling the entire evening. I became fast friends with Allison, a girl who lives next door who is pictured above. We ran up and down the beach, took pictures, watched the sunset, and laughed so hard I almost peed my pants. J Thank you guys so much for all your prayers for my situation. Lindsay is back! If you think of it, please continue to pray that I am filled with joy and strength for each new day. I know this isn’t going to last forever without the help of the Lord. Ahhh!!!! I’M IN AFRICA!!!!! J J J