Bumps in the Road

Each day I am presented with new challenges.  Ones that can bring me to tears and sometimes make me question what I am doing in Africa.  At the end of the day though, God sits me down or makes me go running and opens my eyes again to the beauty of this country.  He reminds me of why I am here.  He blesses me with parents and amazing friends that help me through these challenging times and who remind me that baby steps are better than big strides. 

These past couple of days I have been so grateful for my parents and for the friends I have made since being in Namibia.  With every up and down, I know there is at least one person close to my heart that will rejoice with me in my successes or talk me through my hard times.  Before everyone goes and assumes that I am depressed over here in Namibia though, I just want to say I am not.  This a life-altering situation that even a person who plans as much as I do could not prepare for.  Nothing in Windhoek or Omungwelume really put into perspective the life I would be living for the next year.  Each day I struggle to communicate with my learners or colleagues, each day I am confused at least five times, each day I am exposed to something completely new.  I have cried due to homesickness, I have praised God for his beauty, and I have been content with my surroundings.

Although these first couple of days have been difficult, there is so much beauty surrounding me!  I have learners always eager to speak with me, I have goats and cows that roam free in my front yard, I have wide open spaces to my left, right, front, back, you name it.  I also have friends who keep me sane, people in Opuwo who have offered to give me a helping hand, and other people in Opuwo who know me by name and are always there to lend a smile.  In these difficult times, I need to remember these things.  I need to remember that Rome was not built in a day, and that I am not here to change the world, but rather to love on my learners and to make the slightest improvement in their English skills.  I am blessed!  Blessed beyond anything I could ever deserve.  Blessed by a God who knows more than anyone exactly what I need!

My sister wrote me a letter on the day of my WorldTeach interview, and in it she included Hebrews 13:5-6, “God has said, “Never will I leave you.  Never will I forsake you.”  So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.””  Oh how I cling to these ever so honest words!  He will never forsake me!