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".