Jet Lag

Well I am completely exhausted and I thought that I would be able to deal with the jet lag a lot better but apparently all my travelling has not taught me a whole lot. I have been consistently waking up between 4 and 5 in the morning and then crashing at about 4 or 5 in the evening. This is created some problems because all of the dinners that I have been attending have been in the evenings, which is hard. So if you could pray for that that would be greatly appreciated.
Life here is so laid back and I have really enjoyed it so far. We have tea and scones in the afternoon so I kind of feel like I am in England, especially since I live with two ladies from the UK. Being single here surprisingly isn’t as bad as I thought it would be and I am not restricted all that much except for after dark (which is understandable). Tomorrow I will start walking to the compound and where ever I need to go as Gill (the short term co-ordinator) thinks that I have had enough time to get used to riding and just need to get out there. The only problem is this means that I need to buy an umbrella at the market today as it rains a lot right now.
Today I am also going to the market and stores for the first time to buy my food, and any other house things that I need. The hospitality of others has been great and I have really appreciated not having to worry about cooking yet. However tomorrow I am looking forward to cooking! I am trying to go out of my comfort zone and learn a little bit of the language and since we have a gardener, cook/maid and security guard (not ever day and not all the time) I have the opportunity to learn a lot from these men.
Anyways I am enjoying my time so far and look forward to getting involved in ministry next week. God bless you all!

Note: it is now two days after I wrote this post and some new things have happend. I went shopping and am finally feeling like this is going to be ok. I'm even starting to call it home which is good. I have meet a lot of nice missionaries and there is another girl here my age from Germany so it is nice to be able to hang out and talk. Last night the short term missionaries all hung out and spent time together and that was great! I have been picking up accents depending on who I am sitting next to and last night I went from a southern accent to an English on to whatever I happend to land upon. In Malawi we have missionaries of 11 different nationalities so we definitely have a lot of cutlure shock within the group! Today I was able to go to the market and actually got to sleep in to 6:30 which was great! I have also made it past the 4:00 wall so I am hoping that I am finally getting aculturized (if that is a word! haha). We are also hoping to pick up my guitar today since it has not come yet.
Thanks for all your prayers and support
K

I'm in His hands

Well if I didn’t know that I was in His hands before I definitely do now! God has continued to show His love and guidance in every aspect of this trip! On Feb. 22 when I said goodbye to my parents I was really upset and sad and I felt alone. However, God knew how I felt and meet my need for comfort over and over again. When I was in line waiting to get on the first plane (Calgary to London) the computers shut down and had to restart so we were waiting for a while. Behind me was an older couple and we started talking and just having someone to talk to rather than just sitting there crying was great! Then when I got on the airplane I felt alone once again. Thinking of going on a nine hour flight with no one that I knew around, going to a place that I had no idea what it was like was terrifying. However, after a couple of seat changes (a mother wanted to sit her daughter and new grandbaby, and then two friends wanting to sit together) an older man ended sitting beside me. He sat down and started talking asking questions of where I was going and what I was doing and when I said that I was a missionary, he paused and started laughing because he is a missionary too! From then on we just clicked and had a great conversation! He noticed that I was a little bit upset and told me that he would be my dad for the trip. What a blessing! When we got off at London her pointed me in the right direction but had to run because he had a quick connecting flight that he had to catch. At this point God brought back the first couple from the airport to show me the rest of the way. God definitely was in control with that!
Then I had another 11 hour flight to South Africa and when I got off there was no one going in the direction I thought that I should be going, but I went that way anyways continually telling myself that I was in God’s hands and that He was going to take care of me. Needless to say, He did. I found my way around the airport and actually meet a lady working in a store (I bought water) from Malawi which was really cool. God has just continually showed His guidance and love throughout this whole trip. I think that God made this trip a long one so that He could teach me not only that I have to be strong and courageous, but also first and foremost to trust Him.