For Such a Time as This

This week has been an amazingly relaxing week of getting things done. Clinical is officially over and all we have to focus on now is getting our last minute papers done and over with. At first I found it kind of hard to see those God moments on campus because we are no longer serving in the community. I talked to a friend about it here on campus and she told me I should start praying each morning for Divine Appointments. Although it may be harder to see God at work amongst ourselves instead of in the community, God is still most definitely at work. I may not be seeing these moments because I am not looking hard enough for them or I am looking in the wrong places. When I am serving in the community, God's presence is seen in the smile of a little girl or boy, but God is still amongst our community on campus. Throughout this week, we have been struggling with having sweet fellowship and community amongst the 55 American students who are studying here on campus. Cliques have inevitably formed amongst the 55, but with the cliques have come those people who feel alone and left out and want nothing more than to go home. They are in one of the prettiest countries in the world and they want to go home. Why? Because we, as the community, have failed them. Knowing this, we have acknowledged the problem and have done everything we can to not be exclusive amongst ourselves. As a body of Christ, we want our own to feel welcome and loved instead of alone and in despair. We have done as many things as we possibly could this week to unite the group and cause us all to bond with one another. Throughout the week, we have had frequent movie nights and have played various games.

I also got my Senior Seminar paper done. I wrote on the ethical issue of abortion and if it is ever considered okay based on when life begins and the rights of the unborn baby. As I researched the topic, I came to the conclusion that there are so many people who have had abortions that are uneducated on the development of their babies and the various unethical methods of abortion. I have decided that on top of a social worker, woman's rights activist, and nurse, I would like to become a voice for the voiceless. I would like to spread the word to those who have unplanned pregnancies that there are options other than abortion. There are couples out there who would love more than anything to adopt a child or two or maybe even three. As most of you know, my Aunt Eileen and Uncle Dave adopted my cousin Korbin and he has been one of the sweetest blessings in our lives that we have ever received. If I put his face as the face of abortion, as his birth mother may have aborted him, my heart breaks. I cannot imagine our lives without him in it. I would like to shout from the rooftops that the unborn baby is alive and is a real being who deserves a chance at life.

On Wednesday, one of our leaders, Janet, took my buddy, LG, and I to Howick Falls, one of the biggest waterfalls in South Africa, if not the biggest. I found it to be absolutely beautiful! We didn't have to hike to it or anything. We literally drove up to some shops and walked over to some touristy ledge and there it was! Plain as day. Then we all went out to eat by some quarry. I'm not really sure what that even is in relation to the bodies of water in America, but it looked like a rather large pond, but maybe not quite as big as a lake. Haha. The body of water made for a beautiful view though and I had an amazing orange Fanta float with a grilled cheese sandwich. :) It wasn't nearly as good as a rootbeer float, but it was most definitely a close second. Since there aren't any dogs on campus, Janet then took us to her house to see her three dogs so we could get our dog fix of the month. She has a huge white dog that is a German shepherd slash wolf mix named Zoe, a rather old and stout Shiba Inu (same kind of dog as Aunt Noni's Ujio, but much bigger and older) named Hooligan, and a Border Collie named Emma. They were all extremely adorable and loving. :) Going from having 6 adorable dogs at home to being surrounded by cats and monkeys on campus is quite the culture shock, so we loved being able to love on dogs.

On Saturday, a rather large group of us went paintballing for about fourteen dollars! In the states, it costs about 100 bucks to rent a gun, buy paintballs, and pay for the game, so we were pretty darn excited about the cheap price of fourteen bucks. The game proved for a great source of community too. We formed teams and got the chance to shoot at other teams. Haha. Great bonding. We all had a great time though. A bunch of the girls had never been paintballing in their lives, so it was a nice and cheap way for them to have fun and learn the joy of the game in a foreign country.

Through this week, I have also discovered that I love the book of Esther. I started reading it this week and watched the movie called "One Night with the King" with a friend of mine that is all about Esther. I admire her boldness and would like to become that bold in my faith myself. I love Esther 4:14b, as it says that God had brought her to the kingdom "for such a time as this." Relating this phrase to my life, I believe that God has brought me to South Africa for such a time as this. I may not always see God's hand in every single moment here, but I know that He is working behind the scenes and has a plan for my life. I pray that I will always stand up for what is right even though it may not be the popular thing. I pray that I would only care about what God thinks. I pray that God would break my heart for what breaks His. I pray that I would live my life in such a way that when I meet my Savior face to face, He says, "Well done, good and faithful servant."