Lessons Learned in South Africa

I have been in South Africa for the last 6 weeks.... and today I leave for the long, extensive, border-controlling journey to Zambia. It will take 3 days. It's like driving across the states from Atlanta to Las Vegas, except there are cities on the freeway. There are mostly only villages here. (If you can even call some of what you see a village, maybe a lone hut.) It is truly Africa. I will be travelling with Coen, Suria, their daughters, and Anita, a German girl who works for OM. It should be a good drive with lots of reading time and maybe even a herd of elephants or something. There is one thing that I have learned about life in order to make the future better... and that is reflection. As I leave places, parts of life, or even events I consider what could have been better, what was learned, and how I would do things differently in the future so I thought I would share a few of those with you...

1. God made it very clear to me that teaching at Mack in Las Vegas is where He wants me now. There is no need to "worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow has enough worries of its' own." This past year of teaching brought a lot of new things in me and a lot of those things I didn't like but I learned so much. There were so many kids who drove me crazy but I had some huge, defining moments and huge strides that I have not seen for the last 4 years. I'm excited to jump into this next year. With that comes graduations from my first year of students and a new class that has never been taught before but God has chosen me for this (sometimes I wonder why) and I think the new year will bring about more hope than I could ever imagine.

2. Life is not to be lived alone. After living by myself for the last year, I really began to wonder if I could even function living with other people because I have in some ways become entirely selfish. Thank the Lord that He knows me so much better than I know myself. He allowed me to travel to Kimberley and experience real community and a new sense of belonging and he has allowed me to live with very Godly, wise people over the last 6 weeks who have challenged my thoughts and passions and have encouraged me that Godliness is worth striving for. Esmarie, who has been my roommate, has showed me time and time again that life is about giving and thinking of others. She consistently puts others before herself and Jesus shines through her in every moment of it. Anneretha, who I met a couple of summers ago, has just reminded me that it is okay to go through tough times, as well as question what God is doing in my life. He wants to tell me but sometimes I have to ask and listen. AND even though I am so introverted, it's ridiculous, I need people to be around and others to live life with.

3. Give, give and give some more. Week after week, on garbage pickup day, I saw Coen and Suria's family running around in order to give to someone who just needed some food and was digging through their "rubbish" in the front. It wasn't like it was second thought. It was bottom line. That's just what you do and I love that. There are also so many "beggars" here who stand at traffic lights... Esmarie kept snacks in her car to give them so she didn't have to think about whether she had money or not, or whether she should give that or not. It's just what you do. I want to be more like that.

4. Crossing the Jordan. I think I have mentioned this before because I have thought so much about it. Coen gives the picture of particular young people who God gives the opportunity to cross the Jordan River with Him and so many stand at the edge peering in. How I long to be a person who crosses, trusting Jesus at every moment.

May you think of what you have learned and change things in your life so that you reflect Godliness, wisdom, and humility. That's what I've seen here. That's what I want.

"Attraversiamo"-- let's cross over. -Melissa