Just some thoughts

For some reason Monday mornings are the hardest time of the week for me. I wake up in the morning and my thoughts immediately go to wanting to be back home... in my own bed... where I'm comfortable. I don't allow that thought to last very long though - I can't afford to. It would be a long year if I did and I wouldn't be able to focus on what I came here to do. So you know what I do? I get my mind right. I spend time in prayer and I read to help me be inspired to face the day. But I would say that it's more like a time of pleading and searching for insight - and it always pays off. So far I have found one constant. Love. It's amazing how much we do to gratify our own desires and how little we really look to help others. Love is the one good thing in the world. I can't tell you how much I want to spread it around. I can't tell you how much I want that kid who has been abandoned by his parents and told by the world "you’re on your own" to feel love - my love. You may be reading this and say to yourself, "well that sounds kind of hoaky; exactly what someone in his position would say". My response would be that until you come and experience the raw need you will never understand. You can listen to stories, read books, and see the pictures but until you physically experience the need it can never fully make sense to you. In my short 23 years I've learned that love is everything. Without it there's no reason for life - there's no hope. Love is perfection. Because I've found this to be true I have to strive for it every day. So on Monday's when I wake up and want to be at home in the States, I remind myself that I'm here to love and that, in of itself, is a worthwhile cause to stay for one more day.

Now that I'm done with my dissertation I want everyone to know just how awesome it is being a part of the HOPE team here in Bolivia. I'm so humbled and grateful to be able to share this experience with these amazing people. It already feels like family here - I just wish I could spend time with them more often. On Sunday Kevin did a lesson at church on facing our giants in life - the things that seem too big to overcome. Of course this is a very applicable lesson to those of us who have just moved to another country for an extended period of time! There are a lot of obstacles to overcome! Later in the day we met for our now weekly HOPE team meeting and we all had the opportunity to share about our major obstacles – which was great because now we are all on the same page and all know what each other are dealing with. It’s definitely a battle here in every way possible (spiritually, physically, emotionally and mentally) and I love it.