1 Corinthians 13:7

T5 Things I Miss From the States:

1. The food. Especially candy. I really, really like candy. Oh, and cookie logs.

2. The southern hospitality. I never fully recognized how friendly and inclusive states in the south are, and the attitude of joy and love that they incorporate into their lifestyle. It's something special, though.

3. The fact that mosquito's just want to make me itch, not kill me.

4. Miscommunications are so common here, when there's such a language barrier. Misunderstandings can be frustrating, and are way more plentiful than in the states.

5. A few VERY important people. I would do just about anything to go sit down for lunch with my mom and talk face to face. To go to Cherry Berry and grab ice cream with my best friends. To go on a date with or hug a very special someone. Distance makes the heart grow fonder, though, that's for sure.

People keep asking what I miss about the states, and there's definitely a few things that I'm homesick for. There's a few things (especially a few people) that I find myself laying in bed thinking about at night before I doze off. At the end of the day, though, the way that I miss the states doesn't even start to compare to the way that I will miss Tanzania after I leave. The luxury and convenience of the states is nice, but the suffering and the complexity of Arusha is incredible. Being abroad has fueled the flame that is my heart for missions. Being abroad has flooded my mind and heart with clarity on many things, especially my desires to one day become a missionary in a far away country. Being abroad has expanded my heart exponentially for the nations. I feel so called, led, and grateful to be abroad.

If I could scoop a couple people up from the states and bring them abroad with me, I would never look back.

If you've never been abroad (especially to select areas of Africa or Asia in an underdeveloped country) then I would highly suggest it. It's not everyone's "cup of tea." It's actually very few people's thing. Not many people go abroad and desire to take on this lifestyle permanently. It's a very specific calling. However, everyone who goes abroad comes back changed. No one comes and see's the development, the raw and pure joy and hope, the utter devastation… No one goes abroad and isn't moved by the sights. It's a type of beauty that affects your heart in a way that the states never will. Maybe it's not the lifestyle designed for everyone, but taking time dedicated to others in a country like Tanzania, Nepal, Burundi, or India has the power to make you more effective wherever Christ calls you.

There are lovely things across the pond over here. So in response to everyone's questions of "Do you miss the states? Do you miss home?" Yes. I do miss the states. I miss the states in the sense that there's a few relationships back home that are extremely important to me, that I'm strongly led to, and that I seriously miss. However, when I'm home, the way that I'll miss Tanzania and life abroad will be a whole different world.

T5 Things I Will Miss From Tanzania:

1. The landscape. The way that every day here paints a new picture of beauty and every tree gets a brighter shade of green the longer that I stare at it. To wake up, step outside, and be greeted by God's natural creation rather than buildings, industrial revolution, and man-made images.

2. Every day is such a powerful mission. Every day when you wake up you feel so driven and so inspired to serve and run into the battlefield. The feelings of laziness, apathy, and selfishness are so much more scarce over here. There is motivation in the air to go dedicate every moment of every day to working for Christ. He's moving in this country, and He is making others move along with Him.

3. The look in people's eyes. The most hurt and pained people have a look in their eyes here. There is a general thirst for hope; a hunger for faith lingers in the air. It drips in the humidity of the day and it's so encouraging. Good things are going to happen here, and I can't wait to hear about them.

4. The simplistic lifestyle. It doesn't matter here if you have electricity. You don't really care if you lose water and gas for a day. You feel completely unmoved if your mosquito net breaks on your head in the middle of the night, your water won't boil, and your fans are broken so you're sitting in 100 degree heat all day long. None of it matters, because the people here find happiness in the simple things. They keep their eyes peeled for every single one of God's little gifts, and they appreciate them all. It's something that I hope to carry in my heart forever.
5. Everyone here has so much to teach. I have never learned more about how to love God and how to love others than Tanzania has taught me. There are lessons, just waiting to be absorbed and applied.

Yours Truly