Looking back

Thanks for being patient while I recovered from jet lag and reverse culture shock. I've had a week now to adjust and to think things over and it already feels like a lifetime ago that I was in Africa! Looking back, I can't believe how amazing this opportunity was. I got to go to the continent I've been dreaming about, to do the work I've been dreaming about, and to do all of that in a Christian missionary context! I am so glad I got to be a part of Wycliffe for a little while, and I am definitely planning to keep in touch and become a member with them once I complete my degree.

One thing that the staff in Mozambique told me was to make sure I spread the word about how much they need personnel there. Theirs is one of the smallest branches in Africa simply because there are not enough people to work on the projects that they would like to start up. (See picture - the green areas are the language groups that do not yet have any scripture in their language, and the orange areas are groups that have work in progress. Sorry it's so blurry!) They need linguists in a bad way, but also people to work in areas such as Finance, Personnel, and Website Design & Maintenance. As we left, the staff asked L and I to consider to come back to their branch when we become members. We were so relieved that we were not a burden to them but even through our lack of experience we were able to help them out in some way!

And looking forward...I leave for BC to begin the school year at Trinity Western University (CanIL) in about a month! I am very excited to have the chance to study in a Christian environment under professors that have been in the field working with Wycliffe and other similar organizations to do linguistic analysis, literacy, and/or Bible translation. There are only a few more things to get in order before leaving, and I am praying that God will help me to remember my experience in Mozambique even as I move away and start a new task in BC. I consider these next two years as my Training Phase before I head out onto the field as a member of a mission organization such as Wycliffe. I will continue to update this blog because God has called me to this life of adventure, and no one knows what He'll teach me next!