Happy Thanksgiving!

I LOVE Thanksgiving!  I love the time with family and friends without the distraction of presents (though I do love Christmas too!!).  I love that we have a whole day set aside to remind us that what we have is not from us but from God.

PSALM 95

Oh come, let us sing to the LORD!

Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;

Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.

For the LORD is the great God,

And the great King above all gods.

In His hand are the deep places of the earth;

The heights of the hills are His also.

The sea is His, for He made it;

And His hands formed the dry land.

Oh come, let us worship and bow down;

Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

For He is our God,

And we are the people of His pasture,

And the sheep of His hand.

 

I have so many things to be thankful for!  I have a God and Savior who loves me unconditionally and sacrificed everything that He might be glorified through me.  I am married to a godly man who desires to lead his family with love toward God.  He challenges me and makes me laugh in the same breath.  He is my best friend and I am so blessed by him everyday.  I have the most amazing little girl who I absolutely adore.  She brings more joy and laughter to our home than I could ever have dreamed.  I have learned so much about my relationship with God through her in the last two years.  I have the best parents who have supported me through everything and the coolest sister who is also my best friend.  I have lovely girlfriends who have added so much fun to my life and a kind of relationship I didn't even know I needed.  Wow...with all of this, how much more could I possibly ask for??

Home Again

It's taken me way too long to get something on here about my trip but I'm having a hard time figuring out what to say about it.  Besides that, my flight landed in Tampa at 11pm on Sunday and I was back at work at 7am on Monday.  I've been slightly tired this week.  But it was totally worth it.

My trip ended up being totally different that I had imagined.  I think I didn't really know what to expect.  We landed in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire on Friday night and spent the night at a pastor's retreat there.  We got up early on Saturday morning, had breakfast there, and then made the 5 hour trek from Abidjan to Bouaké by bus.  The countryside is beautiful...it actually reminded me of Florida.  They're just coming out of the rainy season so everything is very green.

Pastor's retreat in Abidjan

Houses along the highway in Abidjan

On the highway to Bouaké

Church on Sunday morning was a couple of hours earlier than normal because of the presidential election.  They also usually have separate services, one in French and one in Dioula but they combined into one service for the same reason.  They wanted people to have time to go vote on Sunday.  The service was amazing.  There were actually four different languages represented and they sang songs in each language.  There was so much life and energy throughout the service.  There was clapping and dancing with every song.  It just seemed so genuine and joyful and heartfelt.

 Just before church started

  Beckie (Journey Corps French Teacher), Jessica (Journey Corps Staff from Denver), and me after church

The most significant experience I had was visiting the orphanage.  While it was fun to get to play with the kids, it was also incredibly difficult.  Angelika (the missionary in Bouaké) took Jessica and I to play with the younger kids (it's hard to guess their ages but most of them who Jess and I were with were probably around 2 or 3).  The whole time I was there, I couldn't help but think about Parker and how much she thrives on love and attention from Dan and me.  It absolutely broke my heart that these kids don't, and may never, have that.  They would light up when we would touch their hand or pick them up.

 Angelika showing the kids how to jump over the ropes

 Eating yogurt ☺

  

There's so much more I could tell you about my trip but I don't really know how.  There was many times and ways throughout the week that God showed me how desperately I need Him, how I am nothing without Him.  He showed me (certainly not for the first time) that my whole life should be lived to serve and glorify Him.

The Journeyer's are awesome!  I just fell in love with each one of them and did not want to leave them.  They're so anxious to see God work in their lives through their year in Côte d'Ivoire.  The first several weeks, they'll be focused on learning French and learning about the culture.  Once they have a sufficient grasp of those two things, they'll go live with families that Rod and Angelika (the coolest missionaries ever!) know through the National churches they work with.  There are many different areas for the Journeyer's to serve in based on their skills and desires.  I would encourage you to check out the "members" section of myjourneycorps.com.  The "featured members" are the Journeyers who are there now and who I have the amazing privilege of getting know.  I feel so blessed to have been part of their journey in Côte d'Ivoire and I hope I get to see them again.  God is going to do incredible things in and through them this year.

Thank you so much to those of you who helped me get there, both through financial gifts and prayers.  My experiences and what God did would not have been possible without you.