Well... since last time I updated a few things have happened. This past Thursday was Thanksgiving. I hadn't been able to be with my family the last 2 years at Thanksgiving, so it was nice to be with everyone this year. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to enjoy all the amazing food that everyone prepared! As of Wednesday of last week I was still feeling fluish and I was really praying to feel better on Thursday... I would've been so upset if after 2 years of missing Thanksgiving I still wasn't able to enjoy it! But, all was well, and though I couldn't handle very much food, I was able to at least taste everyone's culinary creations! :) Maybe it was good that I wasn't feeling 100%... that way I didn't overeat like everyone always does on Thanksgiving! It was so awesome to be with my family though. It's times like that that I am glad to be home.
Tonight we put our Christmas tree up in the house. That was also something I'd missed out on the last 2 years. Though I was home for Christmas 2 years ago, I was away at training until right before Christmas, so I missed all of the preparations. Again I say, it these things that makes me happy to be here.
Overall though... it's really weird to be here, and to be staying here. This would all be absolutely wonderful if this were a vacation... even if it were a long vacation! I could settle my nerves more if I knew I could enjoy this time, and then go back to Jo'burg. But I'm set to teach here for 2 years. 2 years... I wasn't even in Jo'burg a whole 2 years and my life was changed by the time I left. Anything could happen here in 2 years. Who knows what that will be? In all honesty, it freaks me out to be applying and interviewing for a full-time job. It's exciting - it really is! And I look forward to having my own classroom again and being in one place. But at the same time I feel like I don't know where I'm going half the time. I mean, I don't have a goal in mind. In school you always have a destination - graduation. College is the same... After I graduated college I knew I had to work for about 5 months and then I'd be off to training and then to South Africa. When I was in SA, I knew I had 2 years there. But now I don't know what's next. I was chatting with a friend of mine here who is a couple years older than me and she said she went through the same thing when she finished seminary last year. She gave me some good advice. She said she'd always trusted God with the segments of her life, but that she now had to learn to trust Him with the whole picture. So that's what I'm trying to learn and do now... trust Him with my life... my whole life. It's so hard to explain what I'm feeling right now, and if you're reading this and somehow understand what I'm trying to say, I'd love to hear your comments. Anyone out there felt like this before? I guess I'm just in the midst of a big transition point right now. It has its good points and its bad points. I'll try to post some photos soon to show you some of the good points! :) I'd better be going to bed soon...
Cheers,
Bonnie
PS - today at my parent's church a lady whom I adore came up to me and said that she had just met a guy from Johannesburg who in in Harnett county (a neighbouring county). He's here teaching through an international faculty program. Her husband is going to call me with his phone number. I may have found a South African friend. Hooray! :)
Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81
1 comment:
I at least know some of what you're going through. After graduating in 2003, I worked on staff for Missions Connect for the summer & then was ready to start my job with the big D. However, my anticipated start date of mid-August turned into mid-October.
I was anxious - I still didn't know where I would be working or what I would be doing, only that I had a job. But the transition time didn't end, and it still hasn't. I guess I'm still trusting God for the segments since I do 2-yr work assignments & then do something different for 2 yrs. The not knowing is the hardest part . . . and I'm coming up on another time of not knowing since I'm supposed to change jobs in April or May!
But at the same time, I know that God has put me where I am for "such a time as this." He has given me so many opportunities - whether its to lead a Bible study for older women, teach the kids at church, befriend a co-worker that would never darken the doors of a church, or be there to hug a co-worker when they find out about the death of a loved one.
I guess I'm trusting that he's going to put all these pieces together into a beautiful tapestry.
Sorry to ramble so much in a comment.. .
-Sara
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