It is hard for me to believe that I am less than 3 weeks away from being back in Africa. A week into my stay in Zambia in 2006 I journaled that: "I am beginning to realize that a large part of my heart will always remain in Africa." I had no idea how true those words were when I wrote them. I have missed Africa so much since I left.
Swaziland will be my home for almost 3 months this summer. I will be flying out on May 18, having layovers in Amsterdam and Johannesburg, and then flying into Swaziland the morning of May 20. My friend Becca (http://beccachristian.myadventures.org/), with whom I taught in Zambia, has lived there for 3 years now. I will be living with her this summer. She is on staff with Adventures in Missions and works discipling teenage girls.
Swaziland will be my home for almost 3 months this summer. I will be flying out on May 18, having layovers in Amsterdam and Johannesburg, and then flying into Swaziland the morning of May 20. My friend Becca (http://beccachristian.myadventures.org/), with whom I taught in Zambia, has lived there for 3 years now. I will be living with her this summer. She is on staff with Adventures in Missions and works discipling teenage girls.
I will be working with 3-4 groups of 8-10 high school aged girls in each group and doing an abstinence-based HIV/AIDS prevention study called "Cherish." This study is so beautiful. I have been going through it for the last few months, and I have learned so much from it. I still can't believe how incredible God is for opening the door for me to do this. The study is aimed at learning how to see ourselves the way God sees us and to examine His view of beauty, identity, purity, and sexuality. It talks of how God has a plan for each of our lives regarding marriage, and this plan (whether it be singleness or marriage) will be an incredible God journey. This is a subject so close to my heart. Instilling this concept of marriage and relationships in teenage girls is something about which I am incredibly passionate. I am a strong believer in the concept of guarded hearts focusing on Jesus and being kept safe for a future spouse. I get so incredibly excited when I think of learning with these girls about how to "Cherish" purity and seek God's best for our lives!
I also hope to be working in an orphanage or children's care point while I am in Swaziland. Swaziland has the world's highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate at around 40% and there are over 80,000 AIDS orphans in this tiny country. My times with the children in Zambia are some of the most precious experiences of my life, and I cannot wait until I get to be back with the beautiful children of Africa.
No comments:
Post a Comment