Back to Masunga!

My first trip home, was to Masunga! The village that i had lived in for about 1 yr. and half! I hadn't been there since i moved down to Gabs about 6 months ago, so i was very excited to get the chance to go! Although i had a few car problems....hey it wouldn't be one of my stories if something cool didn't happen.....I had a great time getting to go and visit my friends and church. The best part of the visit was acutally seeing Masunga Baptist Church funcation on it's own! I mean the church has exprienced a lot of growth in more ways then one. It was awesome to see Banabasi teaching the little kids in Sunday School, and Mercy with the youth, and then there was an elders class and a class for new believers! It was amazing! The most amazing thing was that i was able to be there (a complete surprise to me) on a Sunday when they where baptizing 6 New Believers!!! Praise God!!!! After church i was invited over to the pastor's house for lunch with him and his family. It was good to be able to talk with him, and see the hope that he now has for the church. It was an unbelievable visit!!

Some of my friends from Masunga, (L-R) Mercy, me, Banabasi, and Tom.

Road Trip...to the airport!!!

To begin my trip home, i was able to travel down to Joburg with two of my closest friends, Jillian and KG, in Botswana. There where also going places for the holidays. We had a blast, singing, laughing, and the occasional tid bits of talk about boys. Come on like you can get three girls together and NOT talk about guys?! We even found strange and scary things to scream at on the side of the road. All of those years of going to UT football games sure did pay off when i totally over took Jillian and KG in the screaming department!! It was a good way to start my long (20 hour) jounery home to the states!!

Myself, Jillian, and KG (L-R) the coolest chicks ever!!

Home for the Holidays!!!

Oh my goodness, i still can't believe it, but i was acutally home for Christmas!!! I knew i was home when i looked outside the airplane window and saw a big power T on the side of a building! Gotta love those VOLS!!! For the first time in over 2 years i was home with my mom and dad, and tons of family and friends! I had a wonderful time, it was really amazing. I was very bless to get to go to my home church and see my family there, and I even got a surprise when i went over to Central in k-town. I ran into some very specially little kids that i use to work with, that was the most awesome thing ever! Although mom's cooking was pretty awesome, also! I'll be back in about 6 or so months, so this will give everyone the chance to get the welcome party in effect when i walk off the plane......being in the gift shop is not an option! I love you guys and look forward to seeing you this summer!!!

As you can see i'm back in TN with my parents, Carole and Edmund, and my sister Leslie, posing for our fist family picture in two years!!!!

Real Trees and water!!!

One of my favorite things that i got to do while i was home was go to the mountains! You don't really think to much about them when you have them all the time, but when you move away and especially when you move to a flat land, it does make you appreciate them when you come back. I was able to go to up to Cave Cove, and see what pretty much looked to me like a different world. The coolest part was seeing all the water! Yes, once again you just have to trust me to appreciate it! Botswana is a semi-desert country. When I lived in my village of Masunga i would drive over bridges that would have nothing and i mean NOTHING in the riverbeds!! Expect dirt of course!! So it was just amazing, and you can ask my driver (no offense) how shocked and amazed i was to really see water where it was suppose to be! It was awesome to see God's beauty in His creation. I had a fabulous time, thanks for taking me Craig!! Hope you all appreciate this picture as much as i do!

FRIENDS and more FRIENDS!!!

Another GREAT part of my visit home, was getting to see some of my best friends in the world!! I had a blast getting to see and hear all about what's been going on in their lives for the past two years. While i've been on the "far side" of the earth tying to firgue out the best way NOT to eat animal intestine! Back home Jill is working on becoming Dr. Jill and trying to correct our use of the English language one college freshman at a time. Nikki is as much a go getter as ever, by both working at and going to seminary all at the same time. Then we have bubbly Mindy who is as sweet and great as ever making her way in Atlanta, GA!! You go girl, your city is twice the size of my country!!! I have grown up with these girls, and it is amazing to see the wonderful women they have become!!
I was thrilled to see even more of my nearest and dearest friends while i was in good ol' k-town!! I don't know what i would have done without you guys, while trying to make sense of undergrad!! I had a blast driving around the cove with mountain man Craig, while i was there. I think he may acutally be the most grown up of us all. He bought a house while i was gone! Hum, kind of makes me wanting to decorate an apartment when i get back, as a sign of me putting down roots, a little out of wack! Oh well, even though he has a house and a "grown up" job, i think it's awesome that He sees his work place as his mission field and always goes on short term vol mission trips. Keep it up!

I had a great time getting together with my friend and awesome roommate while i was home! It was just like old times, but better! You'll not find a more lively and fun person to be around then Lisa. I don't just say that because we once shared J7 together, but it's true. Her friendship and always encouraging if not the funnest e-mails ever has really been great over the past two years! She is a true sister, in that we are both "sex workers"....abstinence teachers if you will! Lisa is pretty much doing the same thing that i was doing back in Masunga, but over in the states. By going into the classrooms of local high schools and giving them all the dirt on sex before marriage, and encouraging them to follow God's plan for thier lives.Then we have Miss Sonya who is working with my favorite people group in the whole world!! Her's is a "grown up" job also....is an elementary school counselor. I think that is way cool. Making a difference in the way a child grows up will totally effect who he is as an adult!! See what did i tell you, i have some pretty amazing friends. Although i didn't get to see all of my amazing friends, it sure was such a blessing and awesome Christmas gift to see the few that i was able to see!!! Hope to see the rest of you when i get back.

Prayer Retreat!

So, right when i landed in South Africa i was wisk away on the shuttle to our regional/cluster prayer retreat! Let me tell you foks that after about 20 hours of travel and flying through lots of different time zones, i was going on borrowed energy, but i still had a blast at prayer retreat. The mission team that came in from the states was great, and i really got a lot out of the messages. I also had a great time hanging out with some friends that i only get to see once or twice a year. It was a good way to end a very good year!

Sometimes you just have to let your inner cheerleader out!! On top is Stacie, i'm on the bottom left, and our newest jounery-girl, Kristy, is on the bottom right!

It's always great to see people you first started with, Carol and i went through training together. Although she is a career missy and will be out a lot longer after i leave, but i know she can hold the fort down!!!

This is sad, because it's the last picture of me and Stacie together in Africa...sniff, sniff, sniff...although i'm sure we'll cause some trouble once we're all back in the states! You will be missed girl!!!