Patiently waiting: Psalms 27:14

I wanted to post another short blog. Its been one month and I want to tell you where I am at now. I have been learning so much this past month of being home. It has been a very hard time being away from the babies. I truly do miss them. But as I am home I am trying to continually look to God for what He wants for me in the future. However, right now I feel like God is just telling me to "Be still and know that He is Lord." This is very hard for me because I am one to want to constantly be moving...doing something. This song comes to mind regularly when this urge of wanting to do something:

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord, wait upon the Lord, we wil wait upon the Lord. You reign forever, our home, our strong deliverer. You are the everlasting God, the everlasting God. You do not faint, you won't grow weary. You're the defender of the weak, you comfort those in need, you lift us up on wings like eagles.  

I am just trying to patiently wait on the Lord for many different answers. God is good and I want to trust and obey Him constantly throughout my life. There are so many opportunities that I am looking forward to but for now I must wait:) 

Prayer Request:

    -This school year is packed full with wonderful opportunities...pray that I will be strong and focused on what I need to do and not get overwhelmed. 

   - For patience with all the things I want to do but I know I am to wait upon the Lord. 

 The more I look around me here its amazing the things I can do right down the road from me. So many times I get caught up and think I need to travel to another country to do things for God but in reality America needs to see His love just as much South Africa, India, Russia, etc.

Thank you all for your support and encouragement throughout my whole life and especially during this time of my life where I am just growing so much! 

~Home Sweet Home~

Well I am now home. It is such a bitter sweet thing. I absolutely love my family and SO happy that I can be home with them! However, I am completely sad that I am not at Door of Hope with the babies and all the wonderful people that I met...

Many tears fell from my eyes as I walked out of Door of Hope. As I was leaving they brought me my two babies that I absolutely fell in love with. I held one at a time and said goodbye. It was so hard. Saying goodbyes are not my favorite thing. Well as I got in the car and was about to drive away they brought one of my babies out and he smiled at me as I was leaving. It was SO hard BUT I know that God is definitely taking care of me! I will never forget the faces of those babies.

This blog is going to be short but hopefully it will give you an idea of what I learned and did. I wanted to write this blog just to kind of “debrief” on my whole trip. It was amazing how God really showed Himself to me at Door of Hope. I know that He is calling me to missions and I am SO excited to see where He is going to take me.

Each baby, volunteer, auntie and staff made a lasting impact on my life. I can honestly say that even though there were challenges and things at Door of Hope that were hard at some points I know that for a fact each of those things allowed me to grow and learn for the future. Every day I was there in the back of my I knew that someday I will have an orphanage, if it’s God’s will. As I read my devotions and books I felt God calling me and just burdening me with the thought of all the babies that do not have homes. The babies they find in trash bags, card-board boxes and some other horrible ways. I want to be there for them one day and give them a temporary home. God has really been laying on my heart orphans for a long time and just seeing Door of Hope I know that God has a plan for me in the future.

Update about the babies. Well if I get started on one baby I will want to talk about ALL of them but I will refrain and just tell you about a few. Shepherd is about 6 months and he has just grown and grown just in one month. This adorable child escaped a likely HIV diagnosis before coming to us at the Door of Hope. When I first met Shepherd he was VERY small for his age, quiet, non-expressive, and refused to stretch out of a swaddled (arms crossed, legs crossed) position. Over just a few weeks he now smiles, giggles, screams for kisses, rolls to his side, kicks his feet, plays peek-a-boo, holds his own bottle, and interacts with interest. It has been an amazing and humbling blessing to be a part of how much he has developed. The second baby I want to tell you about, which I have mentioned him before, is Shadrack. Well I taught him how to say the first letter of my name:) He now says, “kuh”. It was so cool to see him grow and learn how to say things and just his personality really began to shine. He is a year and two months and we are all praying for him that he will be adopted in August.

I never thought I would miss changing another nappie, getting thrown up on at least 15 times a day, bottle time, crying, holding them and etc…but I miss it more than I could imagine. Please just pray for me as I am recovering from the time difference. It is a miracle that I am even up till 8:30 tonight! Also, just keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I am very sad about leaving those babies but I do know for a FACT that God is 

taking care of them.

To close out my blogs for this trip I just wanted to say thank you (for the hundredth time) because all of you who prayed and supported me- I would not have had this experience. A passage that was such an encouragement and basically sums up this trip is Psalms 91. It reminded me that God is watching over and protecting me and all the babies. I have to rest in His arms and know that He is God. You all have been such an encouragement and I really am thankful to God for blessing me with such wonderful people. I hope to present to Summit soon. I will let you all know when I am. Until then keep growing and seeking after God:)  Psalm 105:4 “Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.”