Slippin' and slidin' and in need of a band aid or Disney quote.

January 28, 2011

Today was a day when I was all, CRAP WHAT THE HECK I'M IN AFRICA AND THAT WAS A MONKEY!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? WHAT IS THIS?!?!?!?!?!!? BUT I'm praying it will never go away. I always want fresh eyes. I don't want to take it for granted. Something Dr. Baloian said in Exodus/ Deuteronomy stuck with me. (well... not just one thing. His class changed my life everyday.) Samson! You know him, yes? Hercules meets Rapunzel, but was super thtupid? Well, God was with him UNTIL he chopped his hair off. When he was chained up, he tried to break free, and he thought that he could. But he couldn't. He didn't realize the Lord had left him. I never want to be like that. I want to be SO addicted to Jesus and the blessings that he has given me that I am hit with the realizations every moment. 

Proverbs 27:5: Better is open rebuke than hidden love.

This totally hit me. It is in my mission statement to be LOVE. That means being love to EVERYONE. Not just the people I'm comfortable with. SO I need to be every form of love. I need to tell my friends how much I love them, my family, and I need to give love to the people I don’t know. And besides, I'm not here for my glory. I'm here for His. So WHY would I care what others think of me?! I ask you!

Best part of my day: Slip and slide! I was on my way to get ready for class when I see a GIANT SLIP AND SLIDE on the lawn! Should I go for it? Probably not…. OH WHAT THE HECK! And sliding I went! SO FUN!!!! Apparently, I am the “crowd favorite” and have “fantastic form.” Hmmm new career goal?!

(Mom and Dad DON’T READ!) At Zulu today, my teacher spent quite a large bulk lecturing on how South Africa is not safe and how her husband was “hijacked” TWICE and was almost KILLED! Yep, heard THAT whole story! She scared me out of my WITS! She didn’t say, “be safe and make good choices.” Oh, no. She was all, “You have a good chance of getting shot. Ask any of the workers and they’ll tell you stories of your relatives getting shot.” WHAT?!?!!? What was she trying to DO?! Thanks a lot. NOT. (Mom and Dad I know you DID read this, so know her story was from 12 years ago. Times are much better now and I always travel in large groups. Hakuna Matata!)

Pray for Zulu. It is super hard. I am having issues! I don’t understand… I was gifted at French, but Zulu? clickity click clikkkkk…… (translated: Not so much L)  

Ah. Today, I admit I feel lonely. There are so many wonderful people here. But I don’t know whom (<- Thanks, spell check) I’m supposed to invest in. I know God will bring me a great group of friends. I just don’t know who they are yet. I find myself missing my APU girls… (HEY Y’ALL =P) But I know they’re still there for me. I just wish they were here instead of there. I don’t want to leave. I know God’s not through with me here yet. And my entire chalet is currently empty—which is MIRACUOUS, so I’m pretty sure God wanted some one on one time. Sigh. Lord, I know I’ll thank you for this later, but right now, I kinda want a band aid for my little lonely heart. Or a hug. Giselle said it best: “I'm very tired, and I'm scared. I've never been this far away from home before... If somebody could show me just a bit of kindness, a friendly "hello" or even a smile, I'm sure that would lift my spirits so much.” Where are you, Oh thieving, ragged homeless man?! I need your smile! Alas.

SO…. If you want to email me… or facebook me… I would so enjoy a “hello”… or can we make it a theme? How about your favorite inspiring quote? Or Disney quote? Or favorite verse? Meh. Love is all I need. I will take a hello if you please J.