The Elisabeth Chronicles: Summer in the USA

6 weeks ago today, I landed in sweet home Alabama after over being cramped in a plane seat or airport seat for close to 24 hours of traveling from Senegal.

The first place I went after my mom and brother picked me up was to see my nieces (and sister-in-law) and out to eat for my favorite...good Mexican food :)

I spent a lot of time with my two favorite people...my nieces :)

And speaking of my nieces... It made me sad to miss both of their birthdays this year. But thankfully, I did get to attend their joint birthday party since it was a few days after I arrived this summer.

I also got to hang out with my favorite road trip buddy and partner in crime...my Mama :)

And I got to see my favorite brother and favorite sister-in-law too :)

We had some tough stuff happen too. My uncle had emergency open heart surgery just a couple days after I arrived. One of my aunts got a major infection, causing her to be hospitalized around the same time as that. Then, another aunt passed away only 6 days after I arrived and the issues surrounding her death were especially troubling/painful. So there was a lot of pain and sadness towards the beginning of my summer.

But with that said... It was through all the not so good stuff that God reminded me of something.

Even when things aren't the greatest, I'm still blessed.

I got to speak and share my heart for Senegal and Dakar Academy at 6 different churches.

I got to visit other family...

My Best Bud from Senegal came to visit!

And I got to visit with other friends too...

I got to soak in some of my favorite sights that I miss while in sandy, dusty, and not very green Senegal...

I was able to get my fill of lots of yummy food I can't get in Senegal...

...not to mention, my mom's good ol' Southern home cookin' :)

I got to visit a few places dear to my heart in my home state of Alabama.

...and Kansas.

...and Missouri.

I caught up on a bunch of reading/studying...

I started prepping for Kids Club for the year.

I continued with my mission to learn ASL and be able to better communicate with those around me who use it.

I kept going with the coloring book craze.

I studied for my Global University/Berean classes. And I read my Bible and journaled too. Although, somehow, I ended up not taking a picture of those...

I even took time to read some books "for fun" - books that required no real thought, but rather helped me to relax and unwind at the end of a long day.

I played a game or two...

I went to MEGA 2016 - an awesome educator

conference put on annually by my home state, where I learned so much valuable info and good "tricks" to take back with me to Dakar.

I went shopping for supplies to take back to Dakar. Food, toiletries, school supplies...

Of course, then I had to pack all of it :)

I got my hair cut.

I was given an early birthday party by one of the churches I spoke at this summer.

Then last night my mom made some of my favorite foods as an early birthday dinner.

I made a pit stop at the cemetery. ...because while I know he's not really there, I still feel drawn to make a visit when I'm nearby.

And I finished my time this morning at Cracker Barrel (one of my favorite places) with my favorite people...my family.

There were a few other things not pictured, like hanging out with fellow M's in Springfield, sitting through trainings/meetings on safety/security, and other non-pictured parts of life.

And you know...

The first couple weeks were tough. There was a lot of worry and sadness and pain.

And towards the middle of my time, I had to confront some fears and anxiety that had clearly been unresolved for quite a while, leaving me a big ol' emotional mess.

But by the end, a switch flipped in my mind. And while I can't really explain it, I've felt such overwhelming peace lately. ...peace about my future, the current state of the world, and life in general.

But you know... Actually, I can explain it. It's God. He had such amazing patience, waiting on me to finally put all the fears and worries and stressors in His hands.

And oh my word...

The peace that comes from that is amazing.

These past 6 weeks have been super busy, but overall, I'd have to say the good definitely outweighed the bad.

And I am now am sitting here killing time 'til it's time to go to the airport to head back to Dakar, where I'll have just one day to catch my breath before starting back in the full swing of things with a kids program for some of our AGWM MK's in the mornings and ESL testing (for DA) most afternoons. Oh and I'll be prepping my new classroom for teaching my favorite incoming 5th graders too.

But as busy as I'll be the rest of my summer, I will be taking a tiny bit of time to fully embrace the Biblical principle of RESTING.