Happy 2011!

My family and I are up in the Outer Banks of North Carolina for New Years this year.  We are enjoying the company of old family friends (a few members of the Clemson Crew, as I refer to them).  It is great to be surrounded by family and friends!

Today we all put on our orange and cheered on the Clemson Tigers in their bowl game.  Too bad we couldn't pull out a victory, but all of us will still loyally cheer for the Tigers again next season!  That's what happens when you understand..."There's something in these hills..." through experience!

 

We also worked hard on this puzzle...seriously, 8,000,000 brightly colored fish!  Yes...we did put every last piece together including the blue ocean that proved more difficult than it looks!

We also as a group enjoyed the last sunset of 2010!  What a picture perfect representation of the artisanship of our Lord!  It was an amazing orange sky and slowly but without fail the sun faded below the water line.  Absolutely gorgeous!

So today I'm thankful for 2010!  I'm thankful I spent most days of it serving a population that needs the love of the Lord I know and experience daily.  I'm thankful that my nursing education was used exactly as it was meant for this year.  I mourn the loss of lives that I had to experience but rejoice in the lives saved through love, medical care, and miracles!  I'm thankful for my family, who even through misunderstandings and missing me are able to say they are proud of the work I'm doing.  I'm thankful for all the supporters, friends, and readers who's prayers have encouraged me through the hard days and rejoiced in the good ones.  I'm very thankful I've gotten the past 6 weeks to spend being overly blessed by those I love here in the US (I will miss you all once again!).  I also am thankful that in just 3 days I'll be headed back to Mozambique...a place that is full of chaos, hardships, love, laughter, cultural differences, friends, babies, joy, strength...a place that for at least the next 6 months will be my life.

So as I celebrate in 2011, I'm looking forward to what the Lord has for me on the other side of the world.  I know it won't be easy...most days there are filled with challenges.  But I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am meant to be there through June 2011.  Then funny enough I'll be headed back to this same beach house to spend 2 weeks here in July...after that only the Lord knows!