1 year....

1 year ago this weekend, I started a journey. A journey to South Africa for the first time, a journey to explore the path which I feel I've been called to. It honestly seems like a lifetime ago...so much has changed in my life....there have been moments that have seemed like chaos, but I know each moment was written long ago..It has been a year of first, a year of hellos, and a year of goodbyes.....

The first time I lived out of the country long-term, the first (and second) time I stayed for 24 hours in a sketch hotel in Morocco, the first time I saw a hippo, first time I walked a tiger, first time I was truly humbled by God, the first time to have stitches, the first time I felt out of control, the first time I decided to truly trust....

I said hello to a lot of amazing people. I met a lady named Veronica and the wonderful kids at Aurora, who I will be working with again very soon! I met two amazing roommates who will never truly know the impact they have had on my life, an amazing church family who took us as their own, an amazing group of guys who took care of us and looked out for us like we had known them forever, precious girls who I continue to have amazing, encouraging chats with, and lately I have said hello to rebuilding old friendships...

However, I also said goodbye in a sense--I have grown apart from some people who I really cared for, I've said goodbye to the plan I had for my life, and also to control...

Looking back, it has truly been an amazing year--full of ups and downs, mountains and valleys, struggles and triumphs....I have learned so much--I learned to trust again, I've discovered that through God, I am enough...I have learned that I don't have to have all of the answers to my questions...or anyone else's.

I am so thankful for each day of the journey of this past year.....I'm excited to see what the next one holds...and unlike last year, I have no road map...let's see how it goes :)