Day 51: Bucket List

Today marks the beginning of my last week at New Adventure School, and I realized that although I've never actually written down a bucket list, the two last months I've spent in Kenya would definitely knock some items off of mine.  (For anyone who doesn't already know, a bucket list is a list of things one would like to accomplish or experience before "kicking the bucket.")  I thought it would be appropriate to finally list out the things in my life that I've been blessed enough to experience, as well as some things that I hope to do before my time on this earth is up.

1. Marry the love of my life
2. Give birth
3. Adopt a child
4. Start a non-profit organization
5. Bring someone to Christ (maybe I already have, but I won't know for sure until I see them in Heaven!)
6. Contribute to my parents' retirement in a meaningful way
7. Spend time as a missionary in a developing area/country: check!
8. Go on an African safari: check!
9. Plant a garden that can feed my family
10. Travel to every inhabited continent. Sorry, Antarctica!
11. Learn one language from each continent fluently. Again, sorry, Antarctica!
12. Ride a hot air balloon
13. Scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef
14. See the Northern Lights
15. Learn American Sign Language
16. Visit the Eiffel Tower at night
17. Travel to Venice during Christmas time
18. Drive through a redwood tree
19. Climb a mountain
20. Sleep under the stars
21. Visit the Taj Mahal
22. Visit Macchu Picchu
23. Sneak a Bible across the border into China or North Korea
24. Ride a dog sled
25. Perform in Carnegie Hall: check!

Just a few of my favorite snapshots :)

Day 41

This entire mission experience has been an amazing time of learning for me.  I came here with a desire to show a school of Kenyan children God's love, but He has been using this trip from the moment I felt the urge to leave home until now to show His love to me in very real ways.  He has shown me how to trust in His providence,  how to find joy and peace in His love, and how to be patient for all things to happen according to His timing.  Now that I've finally made it here, I can't believe that I am so close to the end of my time already and am torn between excitement to come back home sadness to leave the home I've made here.  There are even moments when I intensely wish I could just move all the people in my life back home here to Kenya.  There are only eight teaching days left in store for me here, but I often tell myself (or God keeps telling me) that only He knows what He has in store for my future.  

Maybe I will spend the rest of my life in Texas sharing God's love in my hometown, or maybe my family will live a missionary life in a country I have yet to visit.  All that I really know is I can always trust that wherever I go, He goes before me.


Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him, 
and he will make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6