So it's been a week since we last talked and tomorrow marks one month of being here. WOW! I cannot believe it has gone so quickly. I admit there are days where it seemed so slow but today I can only feel how quickly my time is passing. It is strange to me because the last time I went out of the country I was gone for three weeks. At the end of those three weeks I felt like I had done so much and had done it well. It is much different for me here. As I look back on the last 4 weeks it is easy for me to see all the opportunities missed. Am I discouraged? Honestly, yes but here and now I choose to let go of that and take hold of today. My trip to Kenya was life-changing but here I want to change lives for Christ's sake, both my life and the life of those I am with. I ache here to be more. Just articulating this tugging of my heart to you brings tears to my eyes. I want to leave this place with as few missed opportunities as possible. I feel the tears come because I know the love of God and the power in it; and just the thought of seeing another person finally know it for themselves is a beautiful picture I hope God will grant me the priveledge of encountering here.
I feel like looking back and only seeing our failures is something we can all relate to. Whether our living condition, lack of time, abundance of distractions, or whatever seems to be the cause of overlooking these opportunities we must learn from themand move on--to dwell on it only hinders today and the opportunities we will be given in the present. So we must not get overwhelmed by yesterday but look instead at today and what we can do to bring the Kingdom today.
Our team is reading a book about compassion and what it truly is and looks like and how to live compassionately. Basically, it's showing me how uncompassionate I am and how far I missed the target. It is an excellent book and I am learning a ton but I have not yet been able to articulate what it means for me in my life. Once I have been able to understand it better, I look forward to sharing it with you.
All I have so far is what I wrote in the book after reading the first part of it:
"After reading this part and in response to other times God has met with me, I cannot help but see how far I hve yet to go. Yet, I look forward, trying to reach this goal of imitating Christ-which I will never fully accomplish. That is beautiful in itself. My love is imperfect, my faith sometimes wavers, my motive can be selfish but I continue knowing that I only have more to gain--to know more intamatly God's love.
Even still, being given this knowledge I cannot renig on the stirring in my heart taht tels me I must be more. I must be more love and therefore more obedient to God. I must walk in faith knowing that His unfailing, perfect love and my yearning to love Him more perfectly will allow me to do anything in Christ's name, if I only ask."

that's pretty sweet to think about
Haley Kate