Good to be Home


After three intense weeks of travel and moving from one city to the other, I am home. Don't get me wrong, the trip was awesome with lots of laughs, adventure, and interesting situations, and of course many funny comments and questions by yours truly, but it is good to be home. However the trip was fantastic, with many memories made and friends created and strengthened. Over the course of 19 days we saw 11 different cities and spent the nights at 8 different hostels and 1 friends house. We saw everything from castles and cathedrals, to fancy university's in Cambridge as we went along the river in a little punting boat, to the Tower of London, which was both a home and a prison at one point or the other during its course of history. We saw Big Ben, and went to a service at Westminster Abbey which was absolutely incredible.  We also arrived just in time to see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. It was so cool that we were there at the right time. The flag was also raised, which meant that the Queen was there. At many points during our trip, I was in awe of the beauty and the history contained in the castles and cathedrals. We went to Chatsworth House - where parts of Pride and Prejudice was filmed- and it was so breathtaking. It had snowed previously and the snow created a thick blanket covering the ground with the sun shining and glistening off it. I was so in awe of Gods handiwork. He created that. He gave individuals over the course of history the gifts and the abilities to create a house ( more like a mansion) of that much detail and intricacy. Although it was challenging to be away from home during Christmas - especially since the city we were in for Christmas Day wasn't exciting and nothing was open - , it was a Christmas that I will never forget, and that was a once in a life-time opportunity.

Yet I am happy to be home and doing what my heart is called to do. Upon arriving home, I hit the ground running. The evening I got home we had a worship session - which was amazing -  and then the next day was the watchword. For the watchword we have several people here that had come specifically from Zambia, Zimbabwe, the US, and Canada for it. I got to reconnect with individuals from Zambia that I love, and a member of the Zimbabwe Service centre and I got to meet members of the Hands Canada, and the Hands US teams that I had never had the privilege of meeting previously. Once again I was reminded just how diverse God is. That he calls people from all different countries, backgrounds, and cultures to unite for the one purpose of being a voice to the voiceless. I am so thankful that I get to be apart of it. I feel so honoured and blessed.

This past Friday, I was told that I would be apart of the communications team four days a week and then I will be with the RST one day a week. What I will be doing and what day of the week with the RST, is still to be determined.  I am so thrilled. I will be working alongside a team of diverse, unique, creative, and gifted people and I could not be more pleased and grateful. I love writing and advocating for the voiceless so I'm happy. I will be helping out with whatever I can, and I will be given projects and responsibilities. Already I feel like I am being given a list, and I'm excited. I love being busy and what we're working for is what drives everything that I do. We write, draw, plan, tweet, take photos, make videos etc all for the children. We don't do it for ourselves. Its for the kids, so that more people can hear about what we are doing and can come alongside of the kids to support them, and support us in that.

Since arriving home, I had the opportunity to go to Mac Mac Pools with two visitors from Canada, that are here for 3 weeks with their daughter. It was an awesome chance to get to know the family more, as well as see God's beauty here in South Africa. Mac Mac Pools are -  like there name clearly states - a series of pools, in the middle of a grassy plain. Some of the pools are deep enough that you can swim in and there a small waterfalls that you can jump off of into the water. Other parts are just like babbling brook, with water flowing over the rocks. After we swam for a while, we went for a little hike up through the grass. It was breathtaking. It was so peaceful and I could feel God's presence with me. It was so vivid.

I'm excited to see what's ahead in this new season of my time with Hands, and am excited to see what God is going to continue to do.


Durham Castle

 

View from St.Pauls Cathedral


Chatsworth House… Stunning 


God's beauty is so amazing!!!!




View of the Warwick Castle grounds 


Big Ben and Parliament Buildings 


View of the Tower Bridge from Tower of London 


St.Pauls Cathedral 
( Prince Charles and Princess Diana got married here. Ahhhh!!!!) 





View from the hike at Mac Mac Pools 



One of the many pools 


Pool that I swam in. Tons of Fun 


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