If the rolling mountains and verdant plant life were not enough to remind me of the incredible fact that I am back in South Africa, then this blazing, sticky heat would certainly have done so.  Today must have reached 105 degrees, at least. I have been covered in an inch of sweat for a few days now, but today’s heat has been the most intense. All of us on the base look like wilting flowers, drained by the sun and hiding in the shadows. I could really use some of that Virginian and English weather I left just a few short days ago.  Hard to believe it’s been just 10 days since I was in the US and 8 days since I left the shores of England.

My return trip to the US flew by at the rate of an Aston Martin on the Autobahn.  I absolutely loved being back in my home country once more.  When the overhead voice recording in the Dulles Airport Customs line welcomed all US citizens home, I almost cried. Tears pricked my eyes and I simply could not wipe the grin off my face.  I was so excited, and nothing could pull me down from that cloud.

I had such a great time seeing friends and family that I had not seen in over 11 months. An added bonus was speaking at a ladies tea/brunch about my life here in South Africa.  We spent nearly three hours together talking about everything God is doing here, and it was such a blessing to get to meet these women. (To any of you who are reading this, thank you again for all your encouragement!) I only wish I could have had longer than just three weeks in Virginia, but timing was short. Regardless, I feel hugely blessed to have been able to return home at all.  I even got to stop over in England to visit two of my good friends for three days. Warrick and Abi are the ones who convinced me to go to South Africa in the first place, so I was doubly glad to see them and catch up on all that has been happening in my life since we last saw each other in May 2010.

Overall, my sojourn in the US and England has left me feeling incredibly loved and blessed, and those are two things that cannot be taken from me. I still carry them around with me as I go about my days here in Shayandima. No matter how difficult things may get, I know I have an amazing support team back in the US praying for me.

Since returning to South Africa, life has been a whirlwind, as usual. I got back to the base this past Saturday (the 7th), and on Monday it was back to work for two staff preparation days.  School started up again on Wednesday yesterday, and I am settling in with my new responsibilities, which are many, I might tell you. This is certainly a year of new beginnings and fresh experiences, and I am ready for the challenges this term will bring.

I am now a supervisor (main teacher) for the Amethyst Learning Center, grades 3 and up. I am working with my two co-workers from last year, Brendon and Nicole, along with Cecilia, one of the local Venda teachers who is a lot of fun to work with. Brendon and Nicole head up the Amethyst B group, while Cecilia and I are the supervisor and monitor for Amethyst A. I will also continue as the Conversational English teacher. Those classes will not begin for another week, but I am already looking forward to them.

In addition to my teaching positions, I am leading the American Global Year Team’s morning devotions every Thursday morning. I had done a few of them last term, and I guess I did a good enough job to make the responsibility permanent. I’m glad for this opportunity, because I don’t often get to spend time with the American team that are here, so this gives me a chance to interact with them a bit more. I am also acting as the MC for one of our chapel services this term.  It’s usually one of four people who run chapel, so I was pleasantly surprised to see my name on there.  I just so happen to be the MC for the last week of school too, which means the entire school (preschool and up) will be there that day, so I better have a lot of energy and strength to capture the whole school’s attention. I will be sure to let you know how that goes. I foresee fun and craziness.  Should make for a very interesting chapel service. Haha!

I honestly cannot wait to dive in to this year. I just know it is going to be simply amazing.  Strange to think that I am beginning my second year of teaching at Shayandima School of Tomorrow and living in South Africa. Only God could imagine something so utterly crazy for my life.  I certainly never saw this one coming. This only makes me even more excited about my future. Being in my early twenties, I still have quite a few years in front of me, but already God has me serving Him overseas in unimaginable ways. My future may be a blank canvas, but I don’t have the slightest worry, because I know the greatest Artist and Writer is creating my life story for me.  I cannot wait to read the next chapter.