I sensed Him saying, “My Child, you believe Me for so little. Don’t be so safe in the things you pray. Who are you trying to keep from looking foolish, me or you?”- Beth Moore

“Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.” - 1 Timothy 4:12

Please pray for us today- we are having our farewell party, and it will be an emotionally draining experience to say goodbye to so many wonderful friends.

"Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter" - Tim Kizziar

Lord, let it be so.

There are congregations on nearly every street corner. I am not sure we need more churches. What we really need is a church. -Shane Claiborne

“‘My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,’ says the Lord. ‘And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher that your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’” - Isaiah 55:8-9

I have CLUNG to this. There is so much I don’t understand, and so many questions I don’t have answers for. And that is okay.

My Missions Motto

“We are called not to be successful, but to be faithful.” - Mother Theresa

This has been my missions motto. There is so much that I hope and pray for regarding those we work and live with here in Namibia, but He is in control. He is the only one who can make so many things happen. My job is not to fix things or change people, but rather to faithfully do what God asks from me, submitting to His will. It has been such an important reminder of priorities.

The Near Future

For the next couple of months, I am taking a complete break from blogging. Between finishing out our time in Africa and transitioning home, I have neither the time nor the emotional energy that blogging requires. But, once we are settled back in the States, I look forward to regaling you with the hundreds of photos, anecdotes, and stories of God making Himself known that currently fill my brain. It will be an adventure!

In the meantime, please enjoy the quotes and verses that I have set to post each day. Each of these has impacted my life during this past year. It is my hope that one, some, or all of them might meet you where you’re at.

XOXOXO

We have been in Rundu the last week for a conference (amazing) with our mission unit. Therefore, I have not posted for Valentine's Day. However, if you look here, you can see a relevant post on my NEW! photography blog about L-O-V-E.

Tie-Dye

Recently we tie-dyed at the youth program, and it was so much fun! The kids hadn't ever done anything like it before, and they thought it was pretty magical.

Love love being able to see the world through a child's eyes- they are so impressed with all the little things I take for granted- colors, learning, music, weather, animals. I am often convicted about how little of God's creation I appreciate adequately.

I was supposed to come here to take care of them. What's extra-special is that I find myself learning from them every day.

Dune 7

At the beginning of January, we took a little trip to Swakopmund for a few days R & R. For some reason, we thought it would be fun to climb Dune 7, often said to be the second-highest sand dune in the world. If you've ever run on the beach, you know that travelling in sand is nothing like walking on normal ground. You know, the kind that stays put. For every step we took, we slid halfway back to where we started.

Here is a shot from the bottom of the dune. Not so bad, right?

However, here is a shot of Josh that I took from about 1/4 of the way up, if that. Needless to say, this was an adventure. An adventure that my calves reminded me about for the next three days. Oh, and FYI, the landscape that you see in the background is what you see for miles and miles.

The sand is so beautiful out there. The wind blows it around and creates these patterns that look like waves in an ocean.

We made it to the top in about 15 minutes, which stunned me. I was feeling pretty good about all those workouts- of course, that died the next morning with the muscle aches of out-of-shape-ness. Sometimes God just humbles us in really practical ways.

I have to end with this one, because it seriously resembles my one-time desktop wallpaper. The view was TOTALLY worth the trek.

Just Breathe

Lately, our life seems to be on some sort of speed-up mode. We have more places to be, more things to accomplish, more to pray about, more decisions to make. I guess that's what happens when you are straddling 2 "different" lives on 2 very different continents. Sometimes I am so overwhelmed, and just feel certain that I will never accomplish all that needs to be done. I get so wrapped up in the cares of this world that I forget what really matters.

If you've read this blog, you know my love for sunsets, not just for their beauty but for their symbolism as well. At the end of the day, they are my breath of fresh air. They are my reminder to slow down and not waste this moment worrying about things outside my control. If He makes a fiery ball of elements look like this, how much more can He do with those made in His image?