6 Years

That was my Facebook status 6 years ago today. Who could've imagined how my life would go over the next 6 years? 

It was exactly 20 days after that post that we loaded my car and headed to the airport. I was headed to Dakar, Senegal. 

And you know what? The minute my feet hit the ground, I knew I was home. How could that happen? Simple. God.

The majority of my 5 years in Dakar was spent here. Dakar Academy was (is) an awesome place to work. I have so many fond memories from my time at DA.

There was the time I learned a flooded soccer field could provide quite the fun afternoon for kids and adults alike...

One of my proudest memories as a teacher was the time my very first class came to read to my (then) current class. To see some kids who couldn't speak English, less alone read it, when they first arrived, come back and do this... Well, my heart melted :)

And then I started Kids Club and found that while my Wednesday afternoons became busier, they were so much more enjoyable and rewarding. 

My last year at DA, I taught ESL, which had me working with kids from 1st through 12th grades. It was a new challenge, but one I thoroughly enjoyed.

And of course my time at DA wouldn't have been the same without co-workers who became lifelong friends...

Also during that time, I was working with the Assemblies of God. I got to visit some of our AG churches, share a lesson on a mighty woman of God, visit pastors and families, and get to know some of the greatest missionaries around :)

In the past 6 years, I've been able to do quite a bit of traveling. I visited 3 new European countries. And I visited two new African countries as well. 

I also got to do quite a bit of traveling in my own country. I've been to NYC, DC, and even Disney World/Animal Kingdom. I've visited NASA's former headquarters, the Duck Commander Warehouse, Graceland, the Edmund Pettis Bridge, and the Unclaimed Baggage Center, among other things. 

I've said far too many sad goodbyes and countless happy hellos. 

I lost my grandfather...

...and more recently, my dad.

...and a few other relatives as well.

I've been promoted to the title of Zizzie, a title given to me by my eldest niece, who when joined with her sister, become the duo known as my absolute two favorite girls :)

In the past 6 years, I've seen amazing growth in my sense of pride as an American, an Alabamian, and a Southerner.

I've even blessed numerous times over the past 6 years in ways one can't even imagine. ...like the dentist who did thousands of dollars worth of work to fix my smile all for FREE!

...or the church who sent me a suitcase weighing well over 100lbs, full of all sorts of goodies to take back to Senegal.

...or the group of people who pooled their money to fly me home for Christmas one year.

...or how about the lady who gave me a car. YES! ...a CAR! Why? Because she wanted to bless me and my ministry.

...or the couple who let me stay rent free for 5 weeks during my ESL internship, blessed me with food, a major repair job on my car, and supported my ministry in Senegal.

...or the countless men, women, children, churches, small groups, etc. who supported me financially while I was on the mission field. 

And while I'd love to show you every one of their photos, I'm refraining for their privacy. But they know who they are :)

More recently, I came back to America and got a wonderful job in a city rich with historic significance. 

I got my Master's Degree.

I went to my first Navy football game. We won by the way :)

I learned the value of Skype when dealing with long distance friendships :)

I found a new "home" church.

I became a Certified Minister with the Assemblies of God.

I hung out with friends.

I spent a lot of time at airports and in the clouds :)

I reunited with old friends from high school.

I spent lots of time at farmer's markets :)

I spent time with family.

And most of all...

I've tried to live my life in such a way that honors my Savior. I've tried to have faith in Him who created me. I've tried to give Him the reigns to my life.

Have I failed? Of course. Quite often, unfortunately.

But I've yet to give up. 

And even more importantly than that...

He's yet to give up on me :)

And now to end on a funny note... Here's hoping the meme below doesn't hold true for me in the next 6 years and beyond :)

A Dear ______ Post

It's been close to a month since I last wrote a Dear ____ post, so I thought today would be a good time to fix that...

Dear Mom, I'm so enjoying my summer with you. We've spent time road tripping and exploring Alabama, hanging out at home, taking care of our two favorite girls, trying out new restaurants and recipes, and more. 

Dear Air Conditioning, I finally have you in my bedroom. Alabama summers are so ridiculously hot. But now that my new A/C is set up, those should be no longer be a problem at home :)

Dear Getting Married, I saw the funniest meme about you the other day. I literally LOL'd when I read it. Now here's hoping it doesn't end up being true :)

Dear July, Where did you come from?! It's like you snuck up on us. Feel free to slow down a bit... :)

Dear Renewed Sense of Patriotism, You're what I've had since being back in the States this year. I'm realizing just how much I truly love Alabama and the United States.

Dear Happy Birthday, You're what we said earlier this week to America. 

Dear Overthink Things, I tend to do you quite often. I think I need to work on that...

Dear Fresh Fruits and Veggies, I've enjoyed visiting all the local farmer's markets and enjoying my fill of you. 

Dear Keurig, You're my early birthday gift to myself. I may not like coffee, but thankfully they have lots of non-coffee hot drink options. Bring on the hot teas and hot chocolates. Yum!

Dear Inside Out, My mom and I went to see you a few weeks ago. You are such a cute movie! And I can't wait 'til you come out in DVD and I can use you in an awesome lesson on feelings/emotions with my students.

Dear Sweet, You're how I'd describe the time spent with my nieces. I know I say it a lot, but it's such a blessing getting to spend so much time with them!

Dear Southerner, You're how I'd proudly describe myself.

Dear Dear ______ Posts, I'll try not to forget about you from now on :)

It's the little things...

Sometimes it's the little things that put a smile on your face. ...that remind you God's still there. ...that help you go on when you feel like giving up because of the hardness of life.

This past week has been a hard one for me. And any time that happens, I have to force myself to look up to God and thank Him for all the little (and big) ways He's showed Himself to me. 

After all, sometimes it's the little things that mean the most. Things like...

...time spent on the porch. 

...finding a pair of shoes made with African fabric here in America.

...a trip to the farmer's market.

...seeing friends from high school.

..."forcing" with these two ladies to take selfies with me, just to make them laugh :)

...beautiful flowers blooming in my front yard.

...the joy of family.

...seeing the plane that'd take me across the ocean.

...coming home from an international trip and hearing "Zizzie!!"

...spending time with my favorite partner in crime.

...and so many more.

What are some of the little things God's sent your way this week?

I've been thinking...

The power went out so my mom and I went outside where it was cooler. Once the mosquitos joined us, my mom went back in, but I stayed.

And as I sat on my front porch this afternoon, I started thinking...

I thought about my dad. I've been missing him more than usual the past few days. It's just so hard...

I thought about a family from my school who lost a family member recently. I thought about children who may or may not grasp what's just happened in their little lives...

I thought about the loneliness my mom and I felt today, wishing my dad were here - wishing we were with family...

I thought about how I feel suspended between two worlds. I don't feel 100% at home here in Alabama. Yet I didn't feel 100% home in Senegal. I wondered (wonder) if those feelings will ever change...

I thought about my mom's upcoming major dental procedure, in which she'll have to be sedated...

I thought about how much that scares me and how I so wish I didn't have to be all alone in the waiting room waiting on it to be finished...

And my thoughts weren't all sad ones...

I thought about the love of my nieces. I thought about how they eagerly greet me with hugs and kisses and exclamations of "Zizzie!!!" when they see me...

I thought about how nice the rain was since I remember a time when I would go months and months without seeing rain...

I thought about my plans for my classroom decorations and lessons and activities for the oncoming school year...

I thought about friends (literally) all around the world...

I thought about my new Bible Study and how much I'm enjoying it...

And then I thought that maybe I'm thinking too much... :)

So I just focused on listening to the rain and looking at the beautiful green grass and had one last thought...

Life really stinks sometimes. But then again, life is really great sometimes :)

Praying for My Country

Ordinarily, because this is the first of the month, I would have done a Hello July post today, listing all the plans I have for the month. 

However, I've had something on my heart all morning that I want to share...

You want to know what's on the top of my list for this month?

Pray for my country.

Unfortunately, this land I call "home" has gone crazy. 

We've got Whites killing Blacks and Blacks killing Whites. 

We've got flags being banned and terrorists making threats.

We've got churches being burned.

We've got bad cops killing unarmed people, and criminals killing good cops. 

We've got mothers choosing to kill their unborn babies. 

And the list goes on and on...

And now on top of that, we've got the Supreme Court of the United States ignoring the U.S. Constitution and making a ruling that goes against the Constitution. 

The SCOTUS ruled that gay "marriage" is legal and now there's the small possibility that one day in the near future pastors will be forced to comply with such a ruling. 

We've got men and women calling themselves Christian, yet ignoring the Bible. 

We've got men and women preaching from the pulpit that it's okay to be transgendered and homosexual because you were born that way. 

Bull! 

Guys... Sin is sin and it's about time Christians stood up for the Bible. Quit sugar coating and watering down Christianity.

Quit proclaiming that #lovewins in regards to sin. 

You know when #lovewon? 

Love won on the cross over 2000 years ago when a man bore your sins so you could one day have a life in Heaven. 

So as a result of all of that... I'm going to start praying more this month. 

I'm going to pray that this country that I call "home" will turn from its evil ways.

I'm going to pray that this country I love will return to the Christian values on which it was founded.

I'm going to pray that the Christians of this country find the courage to stand up for THE POWERFUL WORD OF GOD.

...for TRUTH.

And just to respond to the naysayers I'm sure I'll have...

I don't use the phrase "love the sinner, but hate the sin" lightly. It's true. I hate no one. 

But y'all, I hate sin. With every fiber of my being, I hate sin. 

...including my own, because I'll be the first to admit that I, Elisabeth Nichols, am not perfect. I sin. And I hate that. I have to daily ask forgiveness for my sins. 

But that's just it. I ask forgiveness for them. I don't stay in sin. I choose to turn from evil. 

So I end with this...

God loves you. God wants you to love Him. Want to love Him and know Him more? Write me at enichols85@gmail.com. I'll be happy to pray with you and tell you all about Him.

And if you disagree with me... That's fine. I don't expect everyone that reads this to love it. But if you would like to discuss anything I've said, or would like proof from the Bible to support anything I've said, please write me at the email address above. I'd love to chat with you.

What's up Wednesday

What I'm eating today...

My mom, aunt, and I are going to the local Chinese restaurant for lunch today. Yum!

What I'm reminiscing about...

I've been missing this guy something fierce! My plan for this past weekend was to get away and ignore the world so to speak. Church services honoring fathers, Facebook posts about fathers, and so on and so forth... I knew it would be too much. So I escaped with my Mama on a mini vacation from the "typical" world around me, including Facebook. And while it helped a bit, I'd be lying if I said I didn't spend the majority of my weekend thinking about my Daddy...

And now to a less sad question :)

What I'm loving...

Oh Summer Break, I love you so.

What I've been up to...

Road trippin' with this lady :)

What I'm working on...

...using my phone less and living in the moment more :)

What I'm excited about...

...a goal I have set for myself. I'll post about it later. But I'll say this, it involves exercise, good food, and feeling better about myself :)

What I'm reading...

I've read it a couple times already. But I decided to read it again in preparations for Harper Lee's new creation coming soon...

What I'm doing this weekend...

I'm going to Florala. ...one of my most favorite places in Alabama :)

What else is new...

Not a lot... I'm enjoying spending a lot of my time with these two cuties, reading (for fun), and hanging out at home. Ah the joys of having summers off with pay :)

What I have planned for the 4th of July...

...a trip to a nearby city's park. There will be vendors, snacks, and fireworks. Fun times celebrating America's birthday.

Lessons Learned in L'Afrique

Oh Africa... 

You have taught me so much over the years. And the past (almost) 2 weeks were no different. Here are some of the lessons I learned during my visit to my "other home..."

Slow down.

Good friends can pick up right where they left off a year ago.

A hug from a child can brighten your day.

Reunions are nice.

West African mangoes are the best mangoes in the world. 

Yes. That is indeed an egg and fries in your burger.

Yes. Those are little cups of ketchup and mustard to enjoy with your pizza.

An all night long power cut is annoying.

Water cuts are also annoying.

Bucket baths may be a hassle, but end up being awesome on a really hot night with a power and water cut.

If you happen to wake up at 5 am and the water's actually on, go ahead and take a shower then. It may not be on when your alarm goes off in a few hours.

If it's really hot at night, sleep on the tile floor. It's much cooler.

It really is a small world after all.

Bug spray - Buy it. Use it.

Trust is important.

Homesickness is bound to happen eventually. It's ok. Let it run its course. 

Making a list of things that being you joy during your day is a good idea.

Most things take longer. Just accept  it.

The cool breeze coming from the ocean feels amazing!

Knowing someone on your flight is always nice.

Speaking in the native language may be difficult, but it's so worth it to 1) embrace the culture and 2) see the happiness on their faces at your effort.

Pray. Pray hard.

Be flexible.

Once Africa "invades" your heart, it never leaves. You are forever changed. The love you have for the country never leaves.