We are here! With great joy we are here.
All of the traveling went well, and as I caught my first glimpse of African soil, sweet tears ran from my eyes. It is so very good to be back.
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| Sunflower fields forever |
My first day was like a dream. Many moments of glistening eyes marked the day... when I saw my housemothers, when I saw my precious special needs girl walking, when I got kisses through the preschool fence... all was joy.
I very quickly got back into the swing of things and my heart was filled with such peace and happiness. It's been a long time since I have felt those things. My soul is content.
My parents took a bit to get adjusted. The first week was a lot of questions, a lot of realizations of life in a third world country, a lot of figuring things out. (And a LOT of time spent together (; Though I love my parents dearly, that was a lotttt of time with them!)
It's been good to reconnect with friends I had made here last time through church, good to lavish love on my little ones, good to be in the sunshine, good to feel fulfilled once again.
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| Blocks and babies |
Unfortunately, I didn't even make it three weeks without getting sick... Yesterday I came down with a stomach bug. 16 trips to the bathroom in 24 hours (yes I counted) and one big bout of throwing up defined my day. After plenty of rest last night, I'm happy to say I am feeling much better. My body is still pretty whooped and tired, but it seems to have ran its course. Phew!
My friends, God has been so kind and gracious. He continues to be just enough for each day. He continues to reveal His dear character. Though I still have questions as to the purpose He has for me here, each day has been fulfilling and that is good. In a Bible study the volunteers are doing, we learned the name of God used in Exodus: El Qanna - Jealous God. And oh how beautiful that is! Though we often see jealousy as a bad thing, with God it is so beautiful. He is fiercely protective over the covenant with His people and when sin threatens that, He takes action. This reveals a deep love that I cannot fathom. Having learned that name, I wanted to learn more names of God, and another that has really struck me is El Roi - The God who sees me. This is a name Hagar gives to God when she ran away from Abram and Sarai after being mistreated. She finds herself pregnant and in the desert, at the end of her rope. But God intervenes, He sees her in her suffering, and He provides sweet grace and relief. Mmm how good it was for me to be reminded that God SEES us in our suffering! My time at home was really rough, but to know that God sees us, knows us, desires us, is fiercely protective over us, that He doesn't leave us in the brokenness... what a reason to rejoice and be glad!!
Though my heart continues to break for things seen, things heard, things experienced, El Roi continues to be grace.
I will continue to blog...I cannot promise regularity (;
Thank you for your prayers and support.
If you wish to write or send packages, they can be sent here:
Beautiful Gate
C/O Grace Boersema
P.O. Box 339
Ladybrand 9745
South Africa
(Packages shouldn't be valued more than five or ten dollars. They can be WORTH more than that, but don't label them as such. If they are labeled more than that, we have to pay a big fee to retrieve them from the post office...boo!)
