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As a child, I was frightened by many things - the dark, loud noises, and spiders just to name a few...(okay, okay, I admit it, that last one still gets me...). But there was one thing, one treacherous thing, which instilled in me a stronger fear than anything else. One thing which made my insides tremble. One thing that I dreaded the thought of more than anything else: the deep end. Oh, I loved to swim. But as soon as my toes could no longer touch the bottom, I would start to panic. There was something about the security of knowing that I could stand up on my own. As I've grown older, I'm no longer scared of the deep end. However, I've discovered that in my spiritual walk, I'm a lot like the 6-year-old me in a swimming pool. I tend to shy away from the deep end. Where I can't touch. Where I am helpless if my own strength fails. Yet, the more I learn about Christ, the more I realize He calls His followers to the deep. He calls us...
My favorite place in the world…it echoes with innocent laughter. Children run and dance and play at all hours, radiating joy into every object – the trees, the rocks, the little roadside shops and crooked homes. Dust fills the air and lightly coats everything. My eyes sting of dust and sediment, but mostly they sting with tears of compassion. In every direction is crushed hope, stolen innocence. It is the happiest place in the world. It is the saddest place in the world. If there was an emotion directly a mix of absolute bliss and agonizing, crippling pain, I would use it here. But there isn't. And I can’t describe it. And so I shall not attempt to convey the essence of my favorite place in the world. I will simply tell you where it is, so you can go and see and experience and fall in love, just like me. And this is your warning: It will become your favorite place, too. Africa.
I have officially been home from Kenya for 5 days! I can't decide whether it feels like yesterday, or a year ago that I was there. I remember it all vividly, perfectly. The dirt roads, the sound of motorcycles going by, and a large bunch of wonderful, beautiful people that I miss like crazy-it is like a crystal clear snapshot that I can see perfectly, but is just right out of my reach. I can't take a hold of it. I can't touch it, feel it. I can't be there. I have never been a very patient person, and my time is a part of my life I have had a very difficult time surrendering to God. But slowly He is teaching me-or I guess it would be more accurate to say-slowly I am learning. I have surrendered everything I have to God, but often I reach out and try to grab it back in a panic, and every time I find that I mess it up. Yesterday, we took our family from out of town zip-lining. I absolutely love it; b...