Lonelily Ramblings.

As I sit down to write this, I realize that this is almost the only moment I have had alone since I got here…and it was only by accident. About 20 minutes ago I was supposed to be getting into a van to go to the mall so that I could buy body wash. Looks like I will either be a little smelly, or will be stealing my chalet mates’ soap until the next mall run, as I missed the van. But what I’m realizing in this moment is that I will really have to fight for alone time. It’s not that I don’t enjoy every second spent with friends here, I truly do, but I will have to fight my own urge to constantly be social in order to have the God time that I so desperately need…and to get some homework done as well. Although we have already had a week of class, my brain has not yet fully engaged.

This week has been a whirlwind. It has been a week of firsts: the first time I set foot on another continent, the first of many conversations with some of the most interesting people I have ever met, the first Zulu conversation I have ever participated in, the first time I have ever seen Zebras, and the list goes on. I would list each and every thing that I have done while at AE, but that would prove to be exhaustive and extremely lengthy (which my blog already is). So much happens in just one day, but the movement of the day is a much slower, more peaceful pace than in the States. I am definitely learning to enjoy the small moments, really indulge and engage in them. I hope that the way that God is so evident in everything here carries into my life back in the States. I know that God is the same everywhere and all the time, but it seems so much more evident in this place. God is recapturing and captivating my heart more in every moment. I can’t wait for all that God is going to teach me and use me for in this time. My prayer is that whatever each of us here in South Africa learns, whatever breaks our hearts, whatever heals us, whatever inspires us, will follow us back to the States and throughout our lives. That this wouldn’t be just another high, but that we would reach a high point and would only continue to escalate in growth. That it would be exponential growth that would affect us in an unforgettable way that penetrates our souls.