Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)

FOMO - anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere... I have definitely fallen victim to the dreaded FOMO, especially during my year abroad, probably because I just can't get enough of South Africa! To counteract the fear, I haven't really slowed down to process my travels since March - sorry! Here's a brief overview with photos.

In March I learned a traditional Afrikaans partner dance called a sokkie with some church friends. I also attend a weekly bible study and “do life together” with these fine folks.

I also attended a ladies tea titled “Women of Destiny” organized and hosted by my friend / GCS colleague. Attendees were asked to bring gently used shoes and we were able to donate 200+ pairs to a local women’s shelter. That’s what I call - having your cake and eating it too!

Leading up to Easter, I got to turn Grade 1N into bunnies, then spent Good Friday and Easter weekend on a sugarcane farm (Allison Shade’s placement) with a few MCC colleagues and students from Canadian Mennonite University. I also made the front page of my hometown’s paper, the News Virginian.

Immediately after Easter, MCC visited partner organizations Acts of Faith, MOYA, and Guba in Swaziland. Acts of Faith taught me how to do laundry by hand, as we were asked to join one of their caretakers for an afternoon. Guba provides locals with conservation agriculture skills and I was so encouraged by their efforts as well. We stayed at Mlilwane Nature Reserve and enjoyed beautiful sunrises, wildlife, and hikes all week!

Thoroughly enjoy facilitating Peace Club every Thursday afternoon with Grade 7s. In April, each class nominated 4 peers as Peace Club Leaders to help facilitate when my SALT term ends. They have already shown how eager they are to lead; I just pray their passion for peace makes an impact on their school and community.

In April I attended my first rugby game! The national provincial teams from KwaZulu-Natal (Go Sharks!) and Gauteng played in Durban. Sadly, the Sharks lost that game but won a few weeks later at another game I attended with MCC colleagues.

I was invited for a long weekend to nearby coastal town Port Edward by a friend /GCS colleague. We celebrated her birthday on May 1 and I got to experience my first coffee plantation, yum!

From May 13-25 my cousin Shay came out to visit me! This was her first African experience and I loved showing her a bit of what I do here. We traveled to Cape Town for a week - saw African penguins, Robben Island, Table Mountain, the winelands, Cape Point AKA southern most tip of Africa - and celebrated her birthday on May 21.

Pietermaritzburg got cold in June but that didn’t stop me from hiking and braai-ing (means BBQ-ing) at two different nature reserves – Umngeni and Cumberland. On June 10 the Grade 7s put on a skit to show GCS what they’ve learned in Peace Clubs. They ‘graduated’ by receiving their badges as official Peace Club Members and I couldn't be more proud!

I had to say a lot of very difficult ‘goodbyes’ the last two weeks of June, including my GCS colleagues and my host family. June 24 was the last day of school so GCS hosted their pajama day (I wore a onesie) and the Junior Primary department hosted a tea & prayer time for me. My colleagues at Key Ministries had a traditional African dress made for me and we celebrated my last day with a photoshoot. I’ll never forget the God-sent community I’ve found in Pietermaritzburg!

Philippians 1:3-6 I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident in this - that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.

Bless Us With Discomfort

"I'll see you tomorrow then!" My darling friend shouted as I pulled out of her driveway last Tuesday evening. Only, we knew this would not be so; I was packed and on my way to orientation the following morning.

It's true, saying 'goodbye' is the hardest part of any new adventure. Especially when I have been given such amazing friends who went out of their way to make me feel loved during my final days in Virginia. I was blessed by round-the-clock lovin' from my friends in the form of potlucks, care packages, carnival rides, and enormous laughter that turned into bittersweet tears. How sweet it is to be loved by them all. How bitter it is to leave such comforts.

Friends who know me at all know that I am a chronic procrastinator. I do nothing in a timely manner, but rather, take pride in my ability (and preference) to work under pressure! With that said, I am living proof that God works in all circumstances. When I applied for this SALT position, I turned in my application on the day it was due. That same week I was asked to interview, and the following week I was given the position. I still find great peace in knowing that 1. God knows my flaws, inside and out 2. God is working through me, not despite of, but because of my flaws. An imperfect person reflecting God's perfect love. This is not the first time I've been put under pressure while working for God (my favorite examples are of my summer camp experiences) and it certainly won't be my last!

Tomorrow, the 80+ young people I've questioned with, prayed with, and shared life with here at MCC will be sent out across the globe. Three of us SALTers (see Allison and Dominik under "Other SALT Bloggers") will fly to Durban, South Africa, for the beginning of our great adventures. The days and hours leading up to this moment have been nothing short of amazing, God-filled, inspiring, and absolutely draining. Though I have only known these 80+ peers for a week, I will treasure them in this next stretch of the journey.

With each of our adventures come great responsibility. As the Franciscan blessing states below, we are charged to be uncomfortable, to be angry, to shed tears, and to feel foolish. Leaving our comfort zones, we will experience every one of these, and I pray that we will count it all as blessing. Amen.

P.S. Two 'self-care' goals I'm proposing for myself is 1. to write shorter blog posts (a win-win for all) and 2. to write more frequently. At this point, writing once a week is a pretty lofty goal for myself, but if you would like to hear more of me, please Subscribe under My Profile (you will receive email updates for each new post).