the cederburg day 1

This morning, I find myself in an area known as Lemon Valley. Surrounded by peaceful farmland and pristine mountains. A place up in northwest South Africa called the Cederburg Wilderness. I almost didn't come. I almost let cultural differences and language barriers get in the way. When have I ever let that stop me before?? And I call myself a missionary?! A chance to escape into the wilderness with some wonderful people that have become like family to me. I shouldn't miss it!

Thankfully, I got my head screwed back on and decided to go. Now I sit here with my fresh cup of French press coffee (the best I've made so far, if I do say so myself), my journal, my kindle and a sunrise. 7 am never felt SO good! The pitter-patter of a light rain is soothing to my weary soul. It brings an indescribable life to everything. The sounds, the smells, the trees dancing to the beat of the droplets. There's just some kind of feeling out here. An unexplainable one, where you feel you are at the ends of the earth and out of sight of the world and people. You are at the mercy of only God: in a good way.

The sunrise naturally brings about a new day and with your soul, new mercies. Where the natural and spiritual meet. They are never truly separated. But being in the moan and drone of a new day in civilization, you find the beauty and newness of the morning lost in the dread of the day to come and the traffic to battle. Well, my coffee is cold now, but I'm still enjoying its company. The stillness of my surroundings warms me enough.

Yesterday we went on a small hike along the river for about an hour. Before we came to the base of the mountain to climb up, we saw a herd of goats all with newly birthed kids! It was just beautiful. Although, I did notice one thing: as the kids lost focus on their mothers, they would begin to cry out in fear. The mothers would normally respond with their individually identifiable bleat and the baby would then find her. In this case, the mothers were too busy grazing to notice their lost young crying out for them. I just then thought about our relationship with God. He would NEVER leave or forsake us. He is always near and if we thought we might have lost Him, then we just cry out, and He will immediately respond: not getting caught up in anything else, but our hearts and our lives. At times you feel lost, because you separated yourself from God... He moved on into another pasture and you were consumed with the present world around you.

"But take heart for I have overcome the world!" -John 16:33

Give Him your world, your life, your burdens, and He will gladly bear it. Don't be like a lost kid!

-Kristen