I decided to move. Well, move blogs that is. I'm still at blogspot and this is the address extraordinaryjoys.blogspot.com so you can be updated on my latest happenings as I learn to see the extraordinary joys in this ordinary life.

Grace and Peace :)

Final Thoughts...Not Really Though :)

So I had intentions of posting this blog Saturday (actually I think my original intentions were to post it before I even left Wales but it happens). Regardless, it is now Monday and this is the first that I am posting. If you had not already figured out, I am currently home in Lake Placid, FL. It is so hard to believe that just a few days ago I was across the ocean in the tiny village of Pentrebach spending time with those who have come to mean so much to after just a short period of time. And as much as I wish I could have stayed in Wales, the fact of the matter is I knew I would have to come home at the end of 2 months. I just don't think I ever imagined how attached I would get to people who I am just met.

Being home is different. I can't quite put my finger on it. I'm sure it's largely due to the fact that those whom I've been with for the last two months almost constantly are nowhere nearby. I'm sure it might have to do slightly with the weather - I'm not lying when I say it is HOT! Maybe it has to do with the fact I'm in a place where everything is again familiar. But then again maybe it has to do with I feel different than when I left. I can't quite put into words how God has worked in my life and in the lives of those around me. Yes, home is different but it reminds me of how God is constantly at work in my life even when I am unaware of it. How He is growing me into the woman He desires me to be. So as I grow it is only natural for things to feel different. I must decide if I will see the difference as a blessing or not. My prayer is that He will give me the strength to see them as blessings.

It would easy for me to lament over having to leave Wales. In fact, it has been easy for me. But there is a reason God has brought me from Wales just as there was a reason He brought me to Wales. I went to Wales with the same mindset that I have often had about being at GWU. I know God brought me to GWU because it doesn't really make a lot of sense as to why I would choose a school like it given the state I was living in back then. Since being at GWU I've been waiting for that big moment to be able to say that's why God brought me. However, that big moment hasn't come. Instead lots of little moments, some which would seem trivial to everyone else, are the reasons I've been brought to GWU from the encouraging smiles and words of much needed friends to mission trips I never dreamed I would get a chance to go on to challenges and prayers from those least expected. God brought me to GWU to experience a life that is full of Him and His blessings. Is it perfect? No, but God is a God of our entire lives. Not just one time events. And that how I feel about my time in Wales that God brought me to Wales for a summer to learn more about loving and trusting Him and to learn about loving others more. He brought me to Wales to enjoy many little moments such as encouraging talks, thought-provoking statements, the smiles and laughter of kids and youth, hours of sitting on the floor listening to gifts He has bestowed upon His children, unlikely friendships, and I could continue on and on. I've seen prayers answered this summer in what I would call record time and I've been reminded that I must be faithful in prayer even when the situation seems hopeless. I've been given the glimpse of what God is doing in Wales and have been reminded that He's not just at work there. Being home I am reminded that God is at work in Lake Placid and in Boiling Springs and I can either join in or mope about no longer being in Wales. I think I would like to join in.

The question has been raised since before I left Wales if I wanted to return and the answer is yes. Of course, I want to. The people I have met have become like family and I dearly long to see them again. But I refuse to promise when I'll return or even if I will. I know what it's like to make that promise and fail to keep it. I can't and won't do that to anyone again. So if you're Wales reading this please know I do long to come back and I pray that God will open the doors for me to come again soon. He is faithful :)

I'm sure this isn't all I intended to say. I'm sure I've left some stuff out. But know those of you who supported me through prayers and finances have blessed me beyond words. I wish I could begin to thank you all for what your prayers especially have meant to me. Like I have said God is at work in Wales and I thank Him for using you all to bring me there and allowing me to be part of it. Please continue to pray for the people of Wales because God is at work and the enemy is trying to fight it. But we know who wins!! God is alive!

So for now I'm off, cherishing the memories of what lies behind, thanking God that there is the Internet to stay in touch, and looking forward to what is to come even if I have no idea what it is. God is faithful and if I have learned nothing else this summer I have been reminded over and over of that. He is faithful even when I am faithless.

I plan to keep blogging, though I guess I should change the name of the blog now...or maybe not...who knows but Him. I can't guarantee that Lake Placid or Boiling Springs will be as exciting as Wales, but God is God there, too, so I'm sure it will be an adventure. Besides it is my last year there, so it will be nice to keep track of how God guides my next steps since I am seemed to be slightly better at blogging than I am at journaling as of late.

Know God loves you more than your wildest imagination...He's enthralled and captivated by every ounce of your being. Know He's at work in your life and all around you. Know He is victorious in the end!!

Grace and Peace :)