Piggyback Rides > Airplane Rides

So...I'm writing this post from my bed...in my room...in LESOTHO, AFRICA! It's one thing to plan this type of journey, but it's something completely different to actually embark on it! It's totally surreal. It feels unreal, but it's not! It's completely really real!

I flew out of Chicago at 6am on Tuesday morning. About two hours later I landed in New York, navigated my way through JFK Airport (that place is gargantuan; seriously, it's nuts), and boarded a second plane. 15 hours, 1 book, 1 movie, and several fitfully failed attempts at sleep later I arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa. I was done sitting at planes at that point, so, naturally, I boarded another one (luckily only for about an hour) which brought me to Maseru, the capital city of Lesotho. There I was picked up by a couple of awesome Beautiful Gate representatives and brought to my new home for the next year.

Arriving on the campus of Beautiful Gate, I was exhausted, but somehow very awake and alert. Now, at the end of the day, I'm mostly just exhausted. It was a whirlwind of a day. I met a ton of amazing people, toured the campus, ate meals in the fellowship of those I'll be working alongside, etc. Let me tell you my favorite part about today, though. It's the reason I'm here. The Beautiful Gate kids! There aren't words to describe what meeting them was like. For over a year I've been imagining what the first encounter with these kids would be like and, God be praised, reality far surpassed any expectations I had. I was hugged, tugged, and pulled every which way across the playground. I gave piggyback rides, held hands, and sat with probably 15 different kids within 20 minutes! Those 20 minutes made the 18+ hours of tiresome and nerve-wracking travel absolutely worth it. No doubts. No questions. This is where The Lord has called me. This is where He's going to use me for a year. This is where He's going to transform my life.

There's that saying, "Home is where your heart is." I think that's true, but I don't think it's complete. I think a better saying is, "Home is where your heart is filled" or "Home is where your heart grows." I have several places I call home and it's precisely because in those places there are people who pour into me and circumstances that force me to grow. Even after one day I can say with confidence that Beautiful Gate will be added to my list of places I call home. This is going to be an incredible year. My heart is going to grow and it's going to be filled. It's going to be covered in little Basotho handprints that will forever change who I am. All I have to say is, "Bring it on!"