a new beginning.

So, I'm sitting here in the O.R. Tambo International Airport, watching the sun rise over Johannesburg, and all I can think about is how I would rather be at the baby house getting the kids out of their cribs right now. I'm happy to be coming home soon (between wireless internet, REAL coffee, and feeling safe in a car, I'm pumped to come home), but I'm also sad to be leaving. The last few days have been so, so crazy here. My last two days of work, I was in charge of all of Starfish. Auntie Mary was off, so I was basically the one in charge! That means that I was the one preparing and giving all of the medication and kindof bossing around a new volunteer who is older than my parents. It was a little overwhelming the night before when I was reviewing how to prepare all of the medication (one of the things I had to do was poke two holes in a teeny pill and try to blow the gel from the inside into a spoon, then feed that gel to a baby girl-ahh!!), but it went so well. The little girl with cerebral palsy is back, so I was so glad to see her again and see how much progress she has made in just a week! It is a miracle. As I reflect on my time in Starfish, I am struck with how each of their lives is really a small miracle. Most of these kids were severely neglected, on the edge of starvation, and on medication when they came in. Now, almost all of my kids are going to be adopted by the end of September.

I wasn't really sure how to come home with all that I've experienced in South African these past two months. I felt like I was holding all of these experiences and lessons and children in my hands, not quite sure what to do with them or how they applied to my American life. Last week, however, I was at a funeral for one of my little girls (I briefly mentioned her in another post...it broke my heart when she passed away from AIDS two weeks ago.) that I really, really loved, and the pastor said some things that really spoke to me. He said that in life, it's not really about the duration, but about the deposit you make. This little girl's life was short, but from the surprising amount of people at her funeral, she obviously touched a lot of lives. He said that now because of her, I have a connection to every orphan, to every child affected with AIDS, and whenever I think of her, it reminds me to serve. That's what I'm bringing home with me. Although I leave a few pieces of my heart in Africa with my kids, I am bringing home their faces, their laughs, their cuddles, and a continual reminder to serve. Wow, I'm starting to cry, but I really don't want to mess up my makeup. I have a long flight home!

Thanks so much for following my blog. I'm not sure if I will update more or not, but feel free to check. And please, whenever you think of me or this blog again (if ever), please pray for my kids in South Africa. I so appreciate all of your prayers and thoughts thus far. Also, please take my experiences as a challenge to serve in whatever capacity you can wherever God has placed you. When you serve others, God expands your heart and fills it with His joy-it makes life worth living. Don't settle for a mediocre life when God has the BEST just waiting for you to take.

All to Him,
Emily