Treasuring this time

The time before I leave for Ethiopia is certainly going by fast, which I think I knew would happen but now I'm living that reality. I've now been back from Belgium for a little over a month, and I have about two months to go before I officially leave, which will probably be around May 20th-ish. Please be in prayer for the last documents I need to come in so I can turn in my paperwork to get my Ethiopian government work permit which will allow me to work with the project for two years in Ethiopia legally. I need to have that before I can book my ticket to leave. Thank you!

God has really given me a sweet attitude about this time I have to rest before Ethiopia. When else in my life can I have concentrated time to visit friends and family and do anything I need to do before I go without having to work full-time? Probably never again. It's awesome. Basically, what this equates to is using my daytime hours to study/learn Amharic with my Ethiopian friend Nadia, helping do a girls bible study with my church, driving up to the MTW office for a conferences or other things (Living in Grace last week, ACT team meeting next month), driving to get my chest x-ray and shots, babysitting for friends, visiting with Alice who is mentoring me in overseas counseling dynamics, working for OM in February to help do their missionary psych interviews, writing thank you notes, visiting supporters, meeting people for lunch, taking people to Ethiopian food, talking to my new teammates, exercising, spending time with the awesome family I'm living with, you catch my drift. I'm not bored.

I've also been grateful to get to schedule a few trips before Ethiopia to visit family and friends for the last time. At the end of February I went to Keizer (outside of Salem), Oregon with my friend Melissa to visit Jennifer, who moved out there from Atlanta last September. The three of us have been really good friends since college and it was hard to see Jennifer go (I call her Gates still which is what we called her in college- old habits die hard). Gates's birthday was February 26, so we decided a while back to go that weekend for a visit, my first time to this state. I think what was so awesome for me with this trip was just getting to see Gates's new life and how she is flourishing in Oregon. I got to meet two families that Gates and Melissa are close to that live just three miles from Gates that really just love on her and support her and I'm sure she does the same for them. I was so blessed to get to spend even just a few days with them! Oregon also is the home to everything outdoors, so I was able to score some sweet Merrill shoes for cheap for Africa that I think will do quite awesomely. There also was the highlight of flying Frontier Airlines which offers you a free warm chocolate chip cookie on each flight, not to mention giving me the privilege of sitting next to "Eric" who was from Minnesota. Since I really believe I have an invisible neon sign on my forehead that says "please tell me your life story" Eric immediately launched into his and it did not disappoint. Eric was on his way to Hawaii (seemingly by the least direct way possible) because he was "tired of the social situation here in the states." If that didn't pan out, his plan B was to move in with a commune in southern Idaho where they take scrap parts and make them into buses. Based on how he smelled, I do not think he believed in deodorant. I was really tired by this point in our flight and felt like he was mainly trying to engage me in an argument, so with everything he said my replies were limited to "that's interesting, sounds good, well...good luck to you!" Seriously, what people do in real life is always better than fiction.

This weekend I am going to Minnesota to spend time with my immediate family (my dad is driving up from Nebraska), attend a baby shower for my sister-in-law, and potentially see as many family members as possible in four days time. I'm also taking my mom's side of the family to have Ethiopian food in St. Paul on Tuesday night, so I'm excited about that. They are up for the adventure!

I really am trying to treasure each remaining day in the states!!

Melissa and I bought these shirts at Mountain Day last fall and got Gates the pink one to surprise her with on the trip! Aren't we like super cute?!?

My first encounter with Oregon Coast roaring Sea Foam (this thing cracks me up every time)

This is really all we saw of the Oregon Trail but I had my eyes peeled for it the whole time

If a tsunami came, we were ready

Maybe I am capable of creative pictures!!! (reflection off the top of a lighthouse on the Oregon coast)