I've been going through my pictures from Uganda to pull out pictures to send to adoptive families...it's an indescribable feeling...

I am so incredibly thrilled to be in contact with these families that are waiting to go get their little ones that I love so much. I am thrilled for all of the little ones that now have forever families! It is amazing to see God at work...

Some of these families are facing hurdles no one expected and it breaks my heart, but I know that God has a plan for them and through it all they will turn the glory back to Him. And in God's amazingness many of the children being adopted from Amani are moving to Brentwood and Franklin! These little ones that have grown up together thus far will get to continue growing up together in America, who would have ever thought!

It's nice to find a place where you feel at home without even trying...to look around and feel like you fit, even though you don't know anyone else in the room. It's great to find a place of worship that focuses on God, on serving, and on DOING life together. It's taken a while, but I think I've finally found a new home church!!!

The message today was all about international missions, it could have been written for me... I know that God had me there for a reason. I couldn't help but laugh though as the speaker talked about Africa and how even though Africa might be intimidating, if God has called you there...you GO.

I'm interested to see where God takes my life...it will be heartbreaking and amazing I am sure. (but right now, I can't help but wonder what I'm doing in Brentwood, TN)

Sometimes, it's hard to know if you're doing the right thing. Is it really worth it? Where do priorities lie? What's the point? So many questions fill my head and I'm not sure what to think.

My life is back in full swing with 3 grad classes, an internship, and work. Somehow it feels like something is missing though. I just can't figure out exactly what that it is...

It's a strange feeling when you realize that you don't have someone in the same city to call when you need to just get away from the rest of the world. It sucks to realize that your best friends are at least 2 hours away and some even further. But what a great reminder it is that I should not first lean on those around me, but on my Heavenly Father. It's hard to be in this place. I know what I want, and yet I'm pursuing a degree that I have no desire to really have right now. I am following what I think I should be doing. So in the end, my heart is still elsewhere. Things must go on. This is only a season, and I know that it shall pass. Friendships end, my heart slowly breaks for those lost friendships, love may come and go, work may only be to pay the bills...but in the end, as long as I know where I stand with my God, as long as I know that this pain is because I am following him and unwilling to change for others, then all is good. As hard as it is to remember sometimes, I know that is isn't about me or what I want. It's all about following Him and loving others as he has told us to.

I will stay here and hold on until the day that I can return to the red dirt of Uganda where the pain and joy are mixed, but the love is more real than I have ever known.

"Be all there"

Wherever you are…be all there. Advice from an ex of all people, but interesting advice it is. I can’t be ALL anywhere. Heck, right now my heart is in at least 3 different places and yet I’m in another all together. Can you ever really be “all there”? And if you are, does that not mean that you are giving up or selling yourself short in some area? I know that for the rest of my life I will never be fully content and happy and wish for nothing. Sound crazy? Ok, maybe it does. But here’s the thing…I gladly left part of my heart in Uganda. I long to be back there and not a day goes by without me thinking about the people there. However, while I was there I also missed my family and friends in America. I can never be two places at once and so I know that I will always, on some level, long of something I don’t have. I don’t want to be “all there”. I don’t want to simply focus all of my time and energy on the things occupy my daily life (which is what the advice was given in reference to) because while I do need to focus on my life in Brentwood, part of my heart is in Uganda, part of it is in Chattanooga, and part of it I have given away elsewhere. If I decided to focus on my here and now, my daily activities be it a job or school, I would risk losing or at least neglecting the people and things that I care so much about that are not in my daily life…and why would anyone want to risk that?

I currently lead a boring life...

How can it really only be two weeks since I moved?!? Crazy. I'm pretty sure I've been here for at least a month or two!!!

While it was fun at first to have no real plans...no school, no job...I'm over it. I enjoy being lazy for a day or two, but much more than that and I just feel like I'm wasting time. I've applied for multiple jobs, so hopefully one of those will come through this week. School starts in two weeks...I'm ready.

I know that I need to focus on the here and now, but it's just hard. I often get lost in daydreaming about the future. I haven't even started my program and yet I'm ready for it to be over...I should probably work on that.

Love

Just some thoughts I've been trying to put together for a few days now...

When all is said and done I believe that love is the most important thing in life. Love others like our Father has loved us. But sometimes, that's a lot easier said than done.

I'll be the first to admit that many years ago I put walls up around my heart. I shut people out to keep from getting hurt and while it's not the best tactic, it's one of the few things I felt that I could control. However, after awhile I slowly began to take that wall down, deal with my past, and open up to others. Mainly because I learned about God and who He really is. I built a relationship with him and he's been my best friend every since.

It's funny when people ask about my trip to Uganda last summer because many will ask why I went, why I went alone, and the inevitable...wasn't I scared? But the thing is, the decision to go was not an easy one to make. I feared answering God's call for me because well, what if I couldn't pull it off?

In those moments alone with God, close to 2 years ago now, I learned what it's like to fully trust and truly love. He called me to go and love...a scary task when you think of the pain it might cause in the end. But with my wanting to continue to grow closer to my Father I agreed. I handed over any inhibitions and I became open. I let myself fall in love with the children, the people, the culture...I knew it would hurt to leave, but sometimes love hurts. That doesn't make it not worth it. I spent the entire journey back to America on the verge of tears, I broke down my first night back, and I learned to open up with those around me here in the states.

However, I learned how risky it is to be open with those around you on a daily basis. When people asked how I was, I was honest with them. The truth was, I wasn’t okay. I didn’t want to be back in America, I didn’t want to be back in school, and it hurt to be away from Uganda. However, that’s not what people wanted to hear. I was told multiple times to “get over” what I had experienced in Uganda and that I should be happy to be back with my friends and family. It was hard to hear these things from people I considered close friends. I was truly happy to see my friends and family again, but my heart was torn in two (and I imagine it always will be). So before long I stopped talking about Uganda to certain people and I watched myself become more closed off.

Over the past few months as my time in Chattanooga ended and now as I’m restarting in Brentwood I have found myself terribly missing being open and loving freely without concern for how it might end. What better way to fix that than to put yourself out there and see what happens? I must say, the last few months of my time in Chattanooga were amazing and friendships grew. I miss my friends there, but I wouldn’t trade all of the time we spent together for anything. I know I’m still not a very open person and some aspects of love still scare me more that I wish they did, but I’m working on it…

I guess really, it’s been certain memories of Uganda and specific circumstances in my life now that have brought my attention back to this whole concept of love. It’s an unpredictable thing that can make a person happier than they’ve ever been or leave someone in tears, but either way…love is always worth it.

Getting settled down in Nashville...

After lots of packing, cleaning, and some tearful goodbyes...I'm in Brentwood. (Oh yea, and I graduated!) I'm almost done unpacking and strangely enough this feels right. I'm right where I'm supposed to be and I'm excited to see what comes of this next year! I know God has some plans that I'm unaware of and I'm intrigued to see what they are...

As I'm getting settled and unpacked I've also been spending way too much time online looking at various things around town. First of all, I'm looking for a church. I'm actually quite excited about one in particular that I found. I had heard of it before and had ran across it online last night, but had not yet looked into it too much. Then I saw it today as I was driving around so I've been reading all about it tonight. I'm excited to check it out, so we'll see! I've come across a few others that I think could be good fits, so who knows.

I also need to start applying for jobs, I have a few places in mind. Hopefully one of them will work out! With grad school my schedule is going to be changing quite often so I'm hoping to find a place that can be flexible with me.

And then of course, like always, I'm spending way too much time daydreaming about Uganda. It doesn't seem like a year has already gone bye, but right at one year ago I was packing up and getting ready to go. Now I only dream I was packing up to go...soon enough, I will make that journey again. For now I will look at pictures, read blogs, and of course keep an eye on plane tickets and daydream of the day I return...

It's time to go...

I'm praising God tonight, as He and I have had many conversations lately about my upcoming move to Brentwood, and tonight I'm finally ready to go. I haven't lived there in a few years. Chattanooga has been my home for the past 4 years. It's the place where I changed, my life changed, and I learned who I am/who I want to be. Chattanooga and the people I have met here will always hold a special place in my heart, but it's my time to leave.

Thank you God for giving me peace about moving...I really needed it.

I looked around the room of people wondering what they were thinking. Do they see the changes I do? Do they wonder what happened to the friendships that used to exist? Are they scared of what comes next? Once upon a time I knew the person behind that fake smile. We were friends, but things have changed and more changes are about to come. It's funny the way life works. People constantly come and go...and sometimes you don't even realize it until you're in a room filled with people you once knew.

Has it been 4 years already?

Today marks my last day of classes for undergrad…can it really be over? I remember crying almost the entire drive down here my freshman year. I had a new boyfriend and hated that I was moving away. More than that, I had just recently learned that UTC had lost their social work program so at most I would be at UTC a year, but more than likely I would be transferring after my first semester. It was a roller coaster ride that first semester here. I got involved at the Baptist Collegiate Ministry on campus and made friends, but I was going to leave so what did it really matter anyway? (great attitude, I know) But then one night in November I realized that I didn’t want to leave Chattanooga. Somewhere over those first few months I began learning who God really is and I knew that I wanted to continue to learn more and I was afraid that if I transferred schools I would end up on a different path. A good friend of mine walked me home that night and as we stood outside my door I told him that I just wish God would give me a clear cut sign of “Hey! _______ is where you need to be!” We just laughed knowing that it was a silly request anyways. Then I went inside, signed online, and on UTC’s homepage was a little blurb saying that the social work program was coming back the following fall. I couldn’t help but laugh as I called my friend to let him know that I was staying…God gave me the big sign that I needed! I called my parents the following day to let them know that I wasn’t going to transfer schools…and well, the rest is history.

It’s been a long four years and I’m so thankful that God used the experiences and people in my life to bring me back to Him. I remember who I was when I came to this city and I can’t say that I’m much like that girl anymore (all for the better I promise!) It's just crazy to think that I'm really moving. Little things hit me every now and then, but it just doesn't seem real yet...as irony would have it I cried when I came here and I'm sure I'll cry when I leave.

=)

I've wanted to create a new blog for a long time now...but, I just couldn't decide on a name. (and I really just never sat down to think about it and go through with it) So I figured since things are beginning to slow down now is the perfect time!