March was a busy month for me! Spring Break was wedged in between assignments and clinic hours, to create a blink. I was able to visit my "ex-roommate" and great friend Kate Huggins in Memphis, TN. I had never been to Tennessee before and I am always ready for new adventures. Linley and I drove for 10 hours in the pouring rain to get there on Sunday. Scary stuff! Thankfully the Lord provided cautious drivers to surround us and good sense to stop when we needed to. Kate had prepared dinner when we arrived, so we had a chance to catch up. She would be at work during the weekdays, while Linley and I were on our own to explore the city. The National Civil Rights Museum was a big hit! I learned so much more depth about our country's struggle than I had before. It also detailed Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination, which was devastating but being the detective that I am, fascinating. My love for the cultures of the world has been growing for several years now and I saw that side as well.
I won't go in to every detail of the trip, but we ate at the famous places and went to the zoo. The zoo had a female panda named Yaya (which if you know me well, that is my nickname), so I thought it was cool to see. I've missed my friend Kate being in Texas, but it was nice to see how she lives now. We will always be friends, no matter where in the world life takes us.
On another note, I have been learning so much in my clinic placement. It truly makes me think about what I want to do the rest of my life, and if this is it. My desire to speak God's love into people's lives through compassion, care and encouragement is growing with my knowledge. The more confident I am in my faith, the more confident I am as a person, which in turn gives me confidence to reach out. What a life God has for me! The title of today's post relates to the countdown for Zambia. I am no where near ready to go physically or mentally, because school is still priority. My heart, however, is rearing to go! Zambia for six weeks, then in July I am going to be in Peru for 12 days! This is a new development since I last posted...and one that I never expected to be real. Who gets to go to two countries that she's never been to in one summer?! God is absolutely incredible. If I'm honest, I only had the faith that he would provide funds for my Zambia trip. He has provided so much more for my sister and I to go to Peru with Southern Hills! I just picture him saying something like he does in the book of John..."You believe after this miracle? Just wait to see what I still have in store for you! It is so much greater than what you've already seen!"...or something very similar.
If God has the power to send me where my heart desires to be, then what else am I not asking and seeking for, that He already has planned? Crazy to think about. Life is passing quickly...I just turned 23 on the 27th of March! This could easily be 5 weeks of stress and depression, but I want to embrace each day with joy. My clients will see it through their child eyes and others will ask why. Hopefully it will not take me 35 days to post again...blessings!
