Rwanda so far

 

 

 

 

Back in Arusha, Tanzania

There are many challenges in life and sometimes I feel like I brought the multipack special. Teaching teachers to teach, pastors to preach and Africans to be passionate somehow feels like something for another planet or at least person. But this is my stretching class, I won't break but I am definitely learning to bend. And what a group to do it with! This is surely a moment worth noting.

 

 

 

Home, for a breath

I was so blessed to have 3 short weeks in my home country to be a part of one my best friend's incredible wedding. Also got to spend some quality time with other beautiful friends AND have a week with my little family. Oh the gift of friendship and family. It was 3 cities in 3 weeks and 100s of moments of happiness for me. What a gift this time was ... now on to East Africa

Blessed to complain

What does it mean when you can complain, or feel the pain of the little things like...
When you feel so overwhelmed with your bodies brokenness with a simple flu.
When you feel disappointed or frustrated with the taste of a plate full of food.
When you can't understand why people are sitting in the seat you wanted (like business class on a long plane ride)
When you look at a room full of clothes and wish you could change them all and have all new ones.

What a blessed life I live, that I could complain even for a second about the fullness of my life.
My body hurts which is unusual. My suitcase is full. My ticket is paid for and I am blessed to complain!

The days in between

Months have past since graduating our students and so much has NOT happened. I have been learning how to DO LIFE without having a million checks on a list. Some days there have been no lists at all. Yet life still happens and things get done. Though it is probably obvious to everyone else, I am just now learning that my value ... my worth to God, the world, to my family/friends is not in what I do. Who would have thought not having lists (and set jobs) would turn me upside and shake me so hard?!

Along the road there were some great moments - we had a fantastic day working with the kids in Cape Town's make-shift refugee camps. These kids ... so much joy in the midst of great uncertainty and trauma.













I had my wonderful cousin come and visit, so of course there had to be some tasting of local produce ...















And the heights of Table Mountain had to been conquered ...














In the end, watching the biggest whale I have ever seen just simply hang out and play, I was reminded that this life is a blessing and should be enjoyed (at all times, in all seasons).

Graduation and a road

What an incredible group of students. Leaders/writers/directors/pioneers, just passionate people and I got to call them my students.
I am so proud to know them and to have be a part of this time of change and growth for them. I didn't think that I would enjoy this as much as I did, but saying goodbye was difficult. The nice thing about goodbyes is seeing the people you care about move into new things. I love that part!

 

 

These last few months have been so full. Teaching and staffing a school is a lot of work but so worth it. There was many a party (including my birthday) and too many great stories to tell. If I could sum up this time it would be "Successful and revealing".

 

The revelation is small and I know there is so much more to come. It feels like I am at the beginning of a road, where I can only see a small section. It is scary not to be able to see the end but I know this is the road I am suppose to be on and all I can do is put one foot in front of the other ... just one foot KT, just one foot.

 

Not Alone

 

Once - I thought that happiness was measured by the amount of smiles around me never considering whether I had one too
Then - I thought contentment was about smiling whether my surroundings gave me a reason
Now - I think the warmth of my heart filled with love is a gift that does not always produce smiles or present people, just a feeling of wholeness even when my eyes can't see it.

You are in my heart, thank you for not leaving me alone!

 

Tomorrow brought ...

Have you ever driven on a windy road, surrounded by cliffs and then all of a sudden the majesty of creation has popped out right in front of you. I feel like my life is on one of these spectacular drives in South Africa where the scenery changes in a way you weren't prepared for and yet somehow this is what you came to see.

 

It is easy to forget where I am sometimes ... the beaches are as beautiful as the ones from home, the mountains are spectacular like those in Montana ... and then you see two men dresses in culturally appropriate formal attire for a day at the beach!

 

Our SBS1 has now offically started. We have students from 4 continents and 8 cultures ... they are all great. It is humbling to teach people who have been "out" doing the word for decades. But we are just here to help them stop and hear God through His word.

 

This place is full of incredible people. Ones who challenge me, make me laugh and cry without even knowing them. This is a great place and I am glad to be here. This is a journey that has many people around yet it is being done alone. I am learning that "alone" is not a bad thing ... this is a hard lesson for an extrovert like me. Thanks for praying with me ...

 

Reality today

The truth, the kind that has been sitting - waiting, it always hurts when it finally arrives. I like to think that I am that kind of person who welcomes truth. I embrace it, champion it and share it around right. No, I am not. I am weak and frail and the truth, it hurts me. I am not tough. I am not secure in my place and my heart, my heart is just a fragile thing that is the most susceptible. Were you fooled? I was. I really thought that I was strong, stronger than this.

And then … “and then he told me, My grace is enough; it's all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness” (2 Cor 12:9 Message).

So I am weak … and He is not. This is my reality today …

Lets see what tomorrow brings

 

 

 

This REALLY is what I do ...

You would think after months of talking about teaching it would be less of a "Bang-Whap-What?" moment. Alas getting to Swaziland, with all the fun that it was (lets just say JoBurg Station is not for everyone) didn't actually make this more real. I don't know what I was thinking was going to happen ... but getting off a bus, into cabs, combies (utility vans used as local buses), large old 1970s school buses and dropped in the middle of no where ... things started to feel a little more real. We walked with our backpacs into a school in a field, put them down, picked up our teaching material and walked into classes of 100 high school students to teach them about the bible. I don't think I could have ever prepared for that moment, my first complete "Okay well there is nothing I can do but teach so I suppose I better" feeling. You have to laugh ... or else you will run ... and there is only more fields and maze crops so better to save the energy and put it into these kids who are all looking at me like they are waiting for me to speak in Martian, fly around the room then bore them. Alas neither of us were ready for actually learning from each other and after 4 hours of pulling teeth, singing songs, laughing, reading and many questions my first class was done. Now there is the other 300 students ...

 

 

 

This country is incredible, their culture, quiet spirits, totally acceptance of a king who picks a new wife from a stadium of dancing young woman (though my roomie tells me that he already knows the girl before the topless stadium of dancing), and the scenery ... I have taught A LOT but I have learned more. This teaching gig is challenging, and I am never as smart as I want to be alas this is my life and it is such a blessing to be here. Thanks for being here with me friends!

 

My new house - this new life

When God called me to South Africa I thought of how hard it was going to be. Leaving friends, leaving all my things that I value as they make me comfortable ... living in and by faith dependent on other people. The picture didn't look like this ...

 

 

 

 

But what I know now is that God cares about little things like a comfortable bed, a flat mate who makes me laugh and eats my trial-and-error cooking. God loves me and wants cool things for me. This time is not going to be easy, by anyone's description, but along the way there is fun, relaxation and a beautiful place to lay my head. I feel so blessed to be loved by God ... and to have this.

Love Hurts

You would think that years of travelling, all the coming and going would make me good at hellos and goodbyes. I think I even deluded myself into believing that. This last group of goodbyes has once again proven me to be WRONG. Leaving Australia hurt this time. I had so many people love … to leave and it was not fun. Plane rides, road trips then a great surprise … hellos to more people I love. But the next day it hit me, I truly LOVE these people and I don’t want to leave them. I preceded to spend the rest of the day crying over my love for my friends and my life that is full of people I adore. It was one of the worst yet best days of my life.

It was this day that I realised that my life is truly blessed with the kind of blessing that hurts to the core, I honestly and whole-heartedly love my friends and family so much that it actually causes me pain. Wow huge revelation that love really does hurt even when it is wonderful.

As I am about to say goodbye and feel that pain again (too many times in such a short period) I have to remember that I am about to say hello to a whole new group of people that could be loved that much too. I have to not let love shut me down … I cannot protect myself from it or else I will miss out on so much more.

Thank you for letting me love you and loving me in return. It is the best kind of hurt I could ever hope for (if you hope for that kind of thing).

SBS Reunion

Road Trip 08 - Jon and Katie Stylin

Girls, my beautiful girls

Who said DTSers never keep in touch - 11 yrs baby

More than half of the most wonderful group of people ... all in one place partyin! I love these people ... just love them!