I'm Home

I made it back safely to the States! It has been an incredible experience! It is different being back at home...getting back into a culture that is completely different from the one I have been experiencing for the past 6 weeks. Some final thoughts about my trip:

I have learned that:

• I appreciate all that I have here in the States and also feel guilty of all I have when there are so many with so little
  
• I cannot change the world but I can have life long impact on a few
• Prayer is powerful
  
• God is good and gracious
• God love is so great and beyond my comprehension at times
• My tears of pain will never be forgotten
• My tears of joy helped me make it day to day
• God wants us to dance with him all the time
• I need grace and forgiveness every day and I had to show it to people every day
• I needed to shed my "Americanness" to fit in the culture
• My fears are so minimal compared to a world that doesn't know Christ
• God can use me in places I never would have imagined
• Kids are desperate for love and one hug could make them feel valued for a life time
• AIDS is a reality and something that is normal to have(1 in 5 people in South Africa and 1 in 3 people in Swaziland are infected)
• A child with AIDS that lives to age 10 is considered a MIRACLE
• God's ways are so much better than my own
• God is so much bigger than I had known before I left
• God is working in Africa
• I can and did make a difference
• We as a culture in America can learn a lot from African culture
  
• God's love is in the child who runs to you and holds you and won't let go
• Only God could give me the strength at times seeing the dying children knowing they may only live several more months
• Life is fragile
  
• Life is valued
  
• The devil was working everywhere we went
  
• Christ was working everywhere we went
• Praying with and for people meant more to them than I will ever know
• Children are the same all over the world
• A smile and a hug go a long way
• I LOVE my TEAM I went with!!!

These were just some reflections about my trip and probably only a glimpse of what my heart feels. The thing I love about these trips is that I gained a new insight into people, myself, and God and my life has been forever changed! Thanks for walking this journey with me! Thanks for your prayers and for your support!

blessings

Kristin

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