This is the last email I wrote about my journey for the last 18 months in Africa, from here on it is just me and my thoughts on this little blog.  Here is the email:  This is probably the last support e-mail that you will receive for a while.  No, I am not planning on dying tomorrow, but my ministry has changed.  Some of you may not know that I am back in the US.  I arrived on May 6.  I left Uganda on May 1 and I spent a few days in London.  I am back in the US for good.  I am going to use Phoenix as my home base.  I am hoping to expand my involvement in Mexico.  I am hoping to continue to work in training lay leaders in the area of child and family support.  Helping women heal from sex trafficking is in that mix too. 

I found a job and have already started training.  I am so very excited to be joining an organization that provides direct support to hurting children and young adults.  I will be working with older teens and young adults.  My beliefs about how to work with families and young adults align very well with the core beliefs of this agency.  I am so excited.  So I will be continuing to learn how to minister with hurting young people.  I have been applying for jobs online since February.  Last week was my "get serious" week.  I had an interview and I went to a job fair. I was planning on Friday starting to hit the retail outlets around where I live (Safeway, Target, Walmart, etc) and early Friday I got a call and a job offer.  Monday I started training.  I will be a direct support specialist with at risk and vulnerable youth and young adults at a wonderful agency that shares my values.  

Many people have asked "why did you leave Africa?"  The short (and truthful) answer is because God called me to.  No...no voices.  But circumstances, Scripture and personal conviction came together in a perfect storm pointing to the fact that it was time.  The women's program that I have been so involved with will be ending early this summer. I was deeply moved by the trauma training I attended in September and loved being part of a training team in December in Mexico City.  I also was deeply moved by a sermon series that the pastor at my church did on Social Justice, and wanted to learn more.  So I followed what I believe was God's call and came back to Phoenix. I hope to go back to Uganda  for short term visits.

I will re-join my church family and enjoy being a grandmother and mother in my own family.  

The bottom line is that you won't here ministry news from me until I go back to Mexico as a part of team.  As one friend said I will be going from Jajja (Grandmother) in Luganda to Tia (Aunt) in Spanish.  Not too many people send info about their private lives and secular job to 100+ people.  But I promise to send you any updates I get about the women or the boys.  Also If I go back to Mexico as a part of a team I will want your prayer support.  So thank you for reading my updates and praying for the women and boys.  There is great work being done in Africa with A Perfect Injustice, so please pray for the staff and the volunteers there. 

I will continue to blog about my journey into the behavior health world and Social Justice activism.  My blog is http://reluctantjourney.blogspot.com/  

So thanks again for all of your prayers and support.  As one of my favorite radio preachers, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, used to say, "May God richly bless you my beloved".

Random thoughts as I leave Africa

During the last two weeks I have re-discovered some things about my self and discovered some things about my Lord and Savior...Jesus.  Both have been truly eye opening and I hope life changing.  For the last six weeks or so I have had the pleasure of living with a young couple adopting a child from Uganda.  Because the adoption process was taking a long time the orphanage allowed them to have temporary custody of him.  So Sarah and Jethro joined me on many occasions.  During that time I watched how people reacted to them.  A white couple in Uganda, adopting a Ugandan toddler.  Some people were quite nasty, "I know that baby", "Give me my baby." Others were very nice, "Thank you for your good work."  But the way people looked at us was truly eye opening. They were obviously adopting a child.  Their family was different.  Jethro loved to have me carry him and would say to me, "Up Jajja!"  A Ugandan baby calling me grandmother. What a blessing.  Then last Sunday in church the pieces started coming together.  What does adoption into the family of God really look like?  Even though I know I don;t deserve salvation, I can fool myself into believing that it is the most natural thing ever.  No big deal.  Then I remember Jethro.  His parents adore him.  They jumped through many hoops to get him.  When the adoption got tough and was delayed, there were those that said, "You can always try again with a different child." But Shawn and Sarah loved Jethro.  Jethro didn't deserve to be adopted, but he is.  Yes, I know all children deserve a family.  But he didn't do anything for Shawn and Sarah to earn their love.  They freely gave it to him.  He is very different from them.  But after being with them for 4 weeks he already has some of Shawn's mannerisms, and he clings to Sarah when he is scared.  I am sure that all of these parallels to the spiritual life are obvious to most of you, and to be honest...I knew them too.  But I never saw them so clearly illustrated.  I need to NEVER forget that God wants me...despite my flaws...despite my being different.  Satan and his demons will taunt me from the sidelines, but God's Holy Spirit will give me words of comfort and hope. You know... Shawn is adopted too!  What a great gift for Jethro!  His father will always understand that piece of him that wonders, "Why me?"  I too ask, "Why me Lord?"  For now, I will have to be content with the loving words He speaks to me through His word and the comfort of the Holy Spirit.  But there is a part of me that wants to ask Him face to face, "Why me?"  I can't wait to hear Him say, "Because I loved you."