What a crazy few months I have had! Jeff's mom passed away on the fourth of July and I drove back to Ohio with Jim and Vicki. We drove straight through-CRAZY! We arrived Wednesday at 12:30 and the viewing was at 5:00. I loved having the time with Jim and Vicki. We didn't talk as much as Vicki and I wanted, we were all too tired and stressed. This past Spring our Executive Pastor wanted me to take a class at Phoenix Seminary called Mending the Soul for Pastors. I did and really loved it. Plus I know that I would benefit from it. I ended up signing up to go through a program of Mending the Soul. It is a 14 week group and we go through a book. It is designed to heal people who have suffered mental, physical, sexual or spiritual abuse or neglect/abandonment. I have learned a lot about myself and I hope I have developed a tender heart for people who have suffered abuse. I know I have a VERY different view of abuse now, from when I started. I am praying for increased compassion and understanding. I also am learning to set healthy boundaries and to say no.
So why the title, "the cat is out of the bag"? Sunday our pastor announced to the congregation that I am considering joining a mission group to do social justice work in Uganda. Specifically I am planning on teaching reading and writing to abandoned kids, really young men and women who have lived on the streets and have been unable to go to school. Just read through some of my posts from Africa to get a feel for life there. I plan on going there for 4 months and then coming home for 2 and then returning. I am getting my house ready to sell and I am looking for a small one to buy. Jeff and I talked about this kind of work last year when he was so sick. He encouraged me to go, we both just assumed it would be to Mexico. So here I am! Scared, happy, excited, nervous...all together. We will see! I will write more later. GJ
No comments:
Post a Comment