It's time for Tanzania
A quote from Stephen Hunt: "Even a broken clock is right twice a day."I think of fortune cookies like Stephen Hunt thought of broken clocks. Three days ago I was eating at Golden Palace in Willmar, MN with a good friend. At the end of the meal, we cracked open those cookies to see what our futures held, and to my complete shock, that little cookie had it pretty spot-on! It said:
"You will take a pleasant journey to a place far away."
And that is pretty much what I will be doing on April 29th! The journey to arrive in Tanzania has taken a little longer than I expected, but I am happy to announce that in a few short days (April 29th) I'll be flying to Tanzania to start volunteering with COSAD.
A brief re-cap: In January, Smart, the Director of COSAD, had a medical emergency that prevented me from beginning my work in Tanzania. I found myself living in Minnesota for the first time in over 7 years, spending a lot of time with my family and local friends. I landed a job pretty quickly at a mental health treatment facility which was a big reason to celebrate: 1. because I got a job 2. because I was working in my field of study. After getting this particular job, I soon realized I was working with fantastic co-workers, interesting clients, and a mission that resonated with many of my inner passions. I found it was becoming harder and harder for me to prepare myself to leave this job when and if the time came to begin my journey in Tanzania. My heart grew more divided each day I invested into work.
Arguably, at the peak of my worry and stress about what to do, I decided to make a much-needed trip to my Grandma's house in the secluded northern woods of Britt, MN. The drive would clear my head, and I knew my Grandma would somehow help to calm my nerves. Saturday night, March 15th, I arrived at her house nestled in the woods. That night and the next day, we talked for hours, worked on a super-hard puzzle, went to church, and hung out. I won't spoil all of what was exchanged, but she shed a little light on my worry and stress, and we had fun!
Just a few days later, my co-workers and I found out that our treatment facility would be closing its doors, permanently. We were being laid off. All of a sudden, I no longer could consider staying at this job I loved so much! Life situations can be cruel, but they can also be really great. Sometimes, they can be both at the same time.
My last day at work was April 11th, and I've thrown myself without reservations into starting the journey I planned to do all along. I am so thankful for God's grace that guides me even when I feel like I'm a train traveling on broken tracks. I am also thankful for Smart who was willing to do the tough work to get COSAD ready to absorb me in just weeks notice! I'm as ready as I'll ever be.
0 comments:
Post a Comment