Oh, life. You are wonderful and slightly exasperating.
In an attempt to justify not blogging for many moons, I will summarize the months of June and July...
1) Graduated and moved home to Minnesota. See previous blog for a lame explanation of why.
2) Bummed around for a week or two, reveling in the glory of a Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies...then realized that is useless around these parts. ;)
3) Got a job working with individuals with disabilities in both group home and in-home support settings. Thoroughly enjoy it most days, especially when I consider my other options: fast food or retail. Ha.
4) Got the news that my swollen little optic nerves are IMPROVING. Scheduled another follow-up for October 11, and hopefully at that appointment, the doc will tell me they are good as new. And perhaps tell me that Lasik would be a wonderful idea? (Here's hoping...)
5) And finally, I do believe I will use this opportunity to set a tentative departure date for Zimbabwe - the first o' June! That will give me a solid year in MN to sell my soul to the government (aka pay student loans), plan, learn, and revamp/reconnect/revitalize/rewhatever.
Within the next couple weeks, I'll be working on some of the more major steps - and by that, I mostly mean a budget. I'll be taking a fine-tooth comb to my expected expenses in Zimbabwe, and figuring out what that means for my monthly support needs. I am hoping and praying that I can keep this to a minimum...I don't want to cause anyone to eat ramen noodles for every meal!
I also covet your prayers during this time. It's tough to not feel like I'm wasting my time. If you are a pray-er, please pray that I'll be confident in God's plan, even when I get frustrated with it. Wisdom, patience, and discernment are three things I need the most right now.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Postponement
"The word 'patience'
means willingness to stay where we are and live out the situation to the
full, in the belief that something hidden there will manifest itself to
us."
-Henri Nouwen
Live out the situation to the full.
For me, at this time, that means postponing Zimbabwe plans. This has been a difficult decision, but I am choosing to wait for God's timing on moving across the Atlantic.
Many little things, and some big things, have nudged me in this direction - and as painful as it is, I know it is right. I will use the coming months to spend time with my family, reconnect with my home church, hopefully sort out my currently undiagnosed medical condition, save a bit of money, and refocus.
I am also praying that that "hidden something" will manifest itself to me during this period of waiting. Pray with me?
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Ayanda
(Sorry it has been so long. I blame the Christmas season, a new semester, and laziness for the hiatus.)
Meet Miss Ayanda Dube, age 17.
Ayanda is fantastic. She is ambitious, loud, intelligent, and a strong leader. She arrived at Peniel Centre when we only had about a week left of being in Zim, so we didn't get to know her too well, but loved the chance we got! This girl can change things. I believe she is a future leader of Zimbabwe.
Ayanda has never met her father and doesn't even know his name. Her mother hasn't been in contact for many years and is believed to be working as a prostitute in South Africa. She was raised by her maternal grandmother until she passed away before Ayanda started high school. She now had no way to support herself to go to school, and had to drop out. However, because she loves school so much, she asked her former school teachers to help her find a place to live and a way to continue with school. They approached Gideon and Jennifer, and after assessing her situation, she was brought to Peniel Centre and enrolled in high school again. It was especially important to them that Ayanda have a safe place to live and a way to attend school because of the high likelihood that she could have gotten trapped in the prostitution lifestyle.
A large obstacle that Ayanda is currently facing is her lack of a birth certificate. Without one, kids in Zimbabwe cannot play sports on their school teams or take exams. She is an excellent athlete, but the school recently had to force her to quit because of her inability to show them proof of her age and citizenship. This will also present difficulties when the time comes for her to take her exams to pass high school. Peniel Centre is working on the situation - generally, if a blood relative is involved in the process, it is much easier, but Ayanda has no family left. They will soon be traveling to the hospital where it is believed that Ayanda was born to see if they still have those records. Please pray that they are able to obtain her birth certificate! It is very demoralizing and discouraging for her to not have it.
Pray for Ayanda. Pray, once again, that the staff at Peniel can figure out a way to obtain a birth certificate for her. Pray that her joyful spirit is never crushed. Pray that she would find ways to cultivate her leadership abilities. Pray that she would always feel the peace that passes all understanding.
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21.
Meet Miss Ayanda Dube, age 17.
Ayanda is fantastic. She is ambitious, loud, intelligent, and a strong leader. She arrived at Peniel Centre when we only had about a week left of being in Zim, so we didn't get to know her too well, but loved the chance we got! This girl can change things. I believe she is a future leader of Zimbabwe.
Ayanda has never met her father and doesn't even know his name. Her mother hasn't been in contact for many years and is believed to be working as a prostitute in South Africa. She was raised by her maternal grandmother until she passed away before Ayanda started high school. She now had no way to support herself to go to school, and had to drop out. However, because she loves school so much, she asked her former school teachers to help her find a place to live and a way to continue with school. They approached Gideon and Jennifer, and after assessing her situation, she was brought to Peniel Centre and enrolled in high school again. It was especially important to them that Ayanda have a safe place to live and a way to attend school because of the high likelihood that she could have gotten trapped in the prostitution lifestyle.
A large obstacle that Ayanda is currently facing is her lack of a birth certificate. Without one, kids in Zimbabwe cannot play sports on their school teams or take exams. She is an excellent athlete, but the school recently had to force her to quit because of her inability to show them proof of her age and citizenship. This will also present difficulties when the time comes for her to take her exams to pass high school. Peniel Centre is working on the situation - generally, if a blood relative is involved in the process, it is much easier, but Ayanda has no family left. They will soon be traveling to the hospital where it is believed that Ayanda was born to see if they still have those records. Please pray that they are able to obtain her birth certificate! It is very demoralizing and discouraging for her to not have it.
Pray for Ayanda. Pray, once again, that the staff at Peniel can figure out a way to obtain a birth certificate for her. Pray that her joyful spirit is never crushed. Pray that she would find ways to cultivate her leadership abilities. Pray that she would always feel the peace that passes all understanding.
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21.
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