From one home to another

Well, the time has really flown and I'm already leaving one home to head back to the next! Tomorrow I'll be getting on a plane and heading back to Africa! It has been such a blessing to be home during this time and to spend this time with family and friends, work at PCH, and even do a little bit of traveling.

About this time last year, I was heading to the ship for the very first time, full of excitement and anticipation for what God had in store. And I have to say, God blew me away by completely exceeded my expectations! I had an awesome experience and literally saw lives transformed, including my own. I was also blessed to get to know so many amazing people and to experience a great community of people who love Jesus and are living out His calling on their lives. Although I faced my fair share of challenges at times, I got through them with God's help and grew in the process.

So, although I'm sad to be leaving friends and family behind for another year, I'm excited to see all that God does in and through me in Sierra Leone! I have a feeling that this year is going to be just as amazing, if not better than the last! But, it's always hard leaving people that we love. I started feeling a bit sad this week, as I left my last Sunday night service of the year at my church and walked out of Phoenix Children's Hospital after my last shift of the year. It's also been sad giving friends and families the last hugs I will give them in 2011 (although I do have to say, they are always GREAT hugs because they have to last for an entire year!)...But, then a good friend reminded me that I am blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life who are worth missing! 

The goodbyes really have been so much better this time around. I think that people realize that a year sounds long, but really does go by fast. And since my friends and family made it eight months without me last year, it makes things much easier to leave again for just a few months longer. It has also been great sharing the pictures and stories with everyone while I've been home to really explain why I love Mercy Ships and want to go back to Africa to volunteer again. 

I would have to say that the hardest part of going back to the ship is leaving my sweet little nieces and nephews behind...they are so young and it's hard for them to understand why their Aunt Becca is leaving them for so long. While they enjoyed getting fun little gifts from Africa after my last trip, my oldest two nephews really struggle with the fact that I'm going to miss their birthdays...again. But, that's just a part of serving on the mission field...you can't be home for everything. And of course, I left fun little presents with my mom to give the kids for their birthdays so that  they don't feel forgotten :)

There are quite a few other things that I'm going to miss besides the many amazing people in my life in Arizona...mostly just the conveniences of American life....a car to drive wherever/whenever, a quiet room all to myself (I do love my roommates, but sometimes a little peace & quiet is very hard to come by on the ship!), Walmart (Sometimes buying two things can take nearly an hour in the market, which can be really frustrating!), hot showers that last longer than 2 minutes, and the fact that I don't stand out as a foreigner in the States, among a few other things...

But, leaving my American life and all its comforts is such a small sacrifice in comparison with the joy I find in seeing so many lives changed on the ship....in fact, I wouldn't even consider it a sacrifice. I truly feel  blessed to have the privilege to serve as God's hands and feet in Africa and I'm so thankful that He has called me to this ministry. 

Today, God reminded me of my ultimate purpose as I read this verse: "But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ." (Philippians 3:7-8). In the end, it's all about gaining Christ! As I think of all the hurting, broken people who are desperately waiting to find hope and healing for their physical illnesses, along with the brokenness of their souls, I realize that it is in reaching out to each of them that I will find Christ. And that is where God wants to meet me...in the faces of the hurting and hopeless, the lost sheep who need to find their way to the Good Shepherd. So, as I leave for Africa, I don't feel as though I'm leaving home to step into the great unknown...I know that I am safe in the palm of God's hand and I look forward to going back to my home on the ship and my life in Africa...I'm sure He has heaps of new adventures in store for me!