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After a long journey I am safely back in Minnesota. I'm still recovering from jet lag and adjusting to time, not to mention all of the cultural differences. I plan on posting a lot more in the next two weeks, but right now I am working on sorting through and evaluating everything. I will also have nearly all of my photos available online soon, so check back for the address.

Since I won't have a post up for a few days and didn't have the time (or, to be honest, money) to post for my last few days in Sierra Leone I thought I should put something up- so here is one of my last journal entries written while I was on the ferry on my way to the airport.

"Reading my journal entries from my first few days in Africa, I can't help but laugh. Things that surprised me (understandably) and I found so new are now so common place. Of course I can bribe an official for a visa, of course I need to take doxycycline on a full stomach if I don't want to be sick, of course there is no electricity after midnight, of course there are starving dogs all over the road, of course the speedometer on a car would never work. Of course, that is just Sierra Leone.
I can't believe how hard it is to leave this place. I am really looking forward to a warm pressurized shower, a raspberry smoothie from Inta Juice, my own bed, clean clothes, Saturdays on NPR, but none of that means anything in comparison to the wonderful people I've met here. T miss my family, Tyler (Sit), my church, my dogs, but I honestly feel like I have family here. Saying goodbye, people were telling their children to say goodbye to their "auntie," and saying I am their sister now. I am going to miss Mohamed, Joseph, Kaba, Mariama, Roseline, Madda, Assan, Beuresford, Charles, Morrison and many others so much. Tuesday mornign will be a sad day when I leave my house without Caddy, Miracle, Abou, Aminata, and all of our other neighbor children mobbing me. It was terrifying to come here, but it is heart breaking to leave. After all, love is greater than fear."

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Only 4 Cold Showers Left

My mixed feelings have only intensified since my last post. There have been a lot of moments in the past two weeks that have made me cry out of sheer frustration. In the past few days there have been a lot of subtler moments that have brought tears to my eyes- moments with our neighbor children singing to me, cooking with my friend, watching the sunset over the ocean... I guess only time will tell how I feel when I get back.

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9 And Counting...

I only have 6 minuets of internet time left, so this will be incredibly brief. I leave Sierra Leone in just 9 days, and yesterday was our last work day. Tuesday all of the other volunteers are coming for regrouping, Sunday*I leave for the airport, and Monday*I fly to London, Chicago, and finally home. I can hardly believe it.

I have to admit I have very mixed feelings about leaving. I can't wait to get a hot, pressurized shower, some real food, to sleep in my own bed, to see my dogs, to listen to NPR... but I am also going to miss this place so very much. I will be so sad to walk out my front door and not have 14 neighbor kids mob me every morning, to not go "pay a visit" to all of my neighbors and friends, to not be here, in this place I've learned to love so much.

*Sorry, I listed the wrong days earlier, I leave for the airport Sunday, not Saturday, and fly out Monday.

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August?

As a missionary- I probably shouldn't admit this, but I discovered a new book in the bible yesterday. In complete honesty, I had never even heard of Habakkuk until I happened upon it yesterday. It was reassuring to read though, because while it didn't give answers, it phrased perfectly the question I am trying to ask...

How long, O Lord, must I call for help,
but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, "Violence!"
but you do not save?

Why do you make me look at injustice?
Why do you tolerate wrong?
Destruction and violence are before me;
there is strife, and conflict abounds.

Therefore the law is paralyzed,
and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
so that justice is perverted.

To be honest, I didn't find much of an answer in God's answers in Habakkuk, but as always, Luke 4:16 comes to mind...

He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

I'm still in the formation phase of this thought, so I'll leave you to reflect on these two scriptures for a while until I have my thoughts formulated enough to write them here.

Justice is a long battle, and I'm in it till then end. I'm just still figuring out where to start fighting.

In case you were wondering, my weekend at the beach was wonderful. It was a perfect day on Friday, the beach was beautiful, I found a friendly dog, the ocean was great for swimming... it was a very serene weekend, exactly what I needed.

Lastly- is it really August already? Somebody pinch me!

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Lakkah

I am off to a much needed weekend at the beach. It will be great to have some time out of the city, a chance to relax, to not constantly be around people for once and to meditate. Here is a preview of Lakkah, I'll catch y'all on the flip side.

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