To be honest, the past week I have literally been dreaming about home. I miss my family and the beautiful food that America has to offer. I miss being in the comfort of my friends that know me well and I mostly miss just cuddling up with a warm blanket on a big comfortable couch. Living in America is so easy and this past week I have been realizing that more and more and honestly it’s been hard…

Then came Thursday…

I had a dream on Wednesday night of being at home. I was laying in my grass in the backyard just sobbing because I wanted to be here in Africa. I missed the kids in the baby house that I see everyday. I missed the people from the school that have become my family. I missed the group of Mozambiquen pastors that I have gotten to know so well. I missed the view from the prayer hut of the Indian Ocean. I missed the dirt roads and riding in the back of trucks but mostly I missed the atmosphere that I have been in since the day I arrived. I woke up confused but then I went to class and listened to Heidi speak…

Any time Heidi Baker speaks I get wrecked (this is two times a week, ya!!) Everything she says is from the heart she had a plan to talk about the beatitudes but when she arrived in the morning she felt like she needed to talk about something else. She simply said that she wanted to talk about Philippians chapter two which is all about imitating Christ’s humility. Humility. Humility. Humility. So then it hit me, it hit me hard.

“Make my joy complete by being like minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others […] taking the very nature of a servant […] do everything without complaining or arguing so that you become blameless and pure.”

Near the end of Heidi’s session she said seven words that made my heart leap, she said, “will you give up the comfortable couch” and without even thinking I said yes. In the end, the couch will not matter. My comfort will not matter, ah. There are WAY to many people in the world who need to know that they are loved. If I have to give up everything so that only one person who is lost or unloved can feel loved, I will, I have too. I’m here in Africa learning how to love in a way that I was never taught or ever understood.

It’s not about me. Finally, I have figured it out! I had to fly across the world to figure that out but hey, at least I am learning!

So that was just Thursday morning—Then came Thursday night…

I know I have mentioned my Mozambiquen Pastors in my last posts but I wanted to go into more depth about them, I wish I could bring them home with me so that you could have the opportunity to just listen to their hearts, but since I can’t I just want to honor them as much as I can.

In the missions school we are all on different color group teams. There are 10 of us from the school on the green team and we are paired with 12 Mozambiquen men who are here on the same base for Bible School training to be Pastors. When we go on outreach we go as a team, the mission school and the Bible students. Let me tell you something about these men, some of them travel by foot to get to the school, they leave their families for months at a time just so they are able to come to the school.

These men are so passionate about the nation of Mozambique that they will give up everything just to come to hear more about God. Mozambique used to be the poorest nation in the world but now it is blossoming into a nation that strives for something more. These men are my hero’s. When we go on outreach they take it upon themselves to be our protectors. They make sure we are comfortable in their culture and they always put us first. When we set up our tents, or rather, after they are finished setting up our tents for us, they set up theirs right outside of ours. They have become my family and my heart aches when I think about not seeing them on a regular basis.

As a team we decided that we wanted to bless the pastors in our group so on Thursday we surprised them with dinner at a nice restaurant that is right on the beach. It was the best night I have had since being here in Mozambique. Most of these men have never stepped foot in a restaurant. One of them said that he had walked past this restaurant many times never imagining of sitting and eating in a place so nice. One said that he never thought he would ever eat from a plate that was not his own. None of them knew was pizza was because cheese here is very expensive. After they all received their meal which was elegantly given to them, and their cokes, they each tried a piece of pizza, it was great. Each and every one of the men said how grateful they were. One of them said that he couldn’t wait to get home to his family to tell them how privileged he was to come to a restaurant, going to a restaurant was a privilege. I can’t describe in words how much this dinner meant to me, I can truly say it changed me. I have learned more from these men than I have from anyone I have ever met.

I have three weeks left in Mozambique. Two weeks left of school and one week left on the base. It’s insane how fast this summer has gone. I have been so happy the past two days because I have been living in today. I will enjoy the last days I have here and when I do leave to come home I think it will be hard but I know I will be back here, and maybe some of you will come with me! It will rock you. I will never be the same but I am so so so so so excited to see where my life is heading, it is so thrilling to be in the will of God.

Life is so good.

Tomorrow I am going back to Felipe’s house in the village right after church. I mentioned him in a past blog, his family has been hunting us down asking us to come back, they want to spend more time with us, I love it. I hope that wherever you are that you make the most of it, because honestly life is so quick. Last night when we were all going to bed (I share a room with six girls) we were all just laughing at each other and at one point I said, “Ok, I have to go to bed, goodbye July 23, 2010” and I was like whoa, this day is gone and there will never be another July 23rd 2010, it’s crazy if you think about it, I know I am so corny right now, but its true!

Life is so quick so live everyday with love, it’s the best way to go. Love you all!!!

“Wherever you are—Be all there” Jim Elliot