Processing

I know that processing all that has happened this year is going to be crucial. I also know that for people to understand my life here that I am going to have to share those thought processes with people. So for those of you who read this, here is a small picture of the thoughts in my mind. And please be patient with the randomness of my thoughts. I have a lot going on in my mind and I still and not sure how to organize them into coherent thoughts.
I was thinking back to my first blog entry and I said that I wanted this blog to not reflect me, but to reflect what the Lord has done here in Sierra Leone. I am not sure that I always accomplished that goal. Its so easy to let the focus be on me and the work that I am doing here. But as I have been thinking back to this year, the moments that I was at my worst- cranky, tired, and grumpy- was when the Lord was able to shine through, so that I knew that it was not of my own effort. A missionary friend of our says that Sierra Leone brings out the worst and the best in a person. So true.....
I truly am thankful that the Lord chose to use me here. I know that my life has been deeply changed by my friends and children here in Sierra Leone. My heart is heavy and sad as I prepare to leave, but at the same time there is also a sense of joy and peace, which can only have come from Jesus. The Lord is at work in this country and I am thankful that I have been able to see that.
One of my favorite songs that they sing here has the words, "Joy overflows my heart, I sing a new song to the Lord. I will praise his name, I will honor him, Glory, Hallelujah, Joy overflows my heart."
I think that those words, best describe my thoughts right now.