Dehna aderachu! Good morning!
I miss it. I miss the language. The culture. The people. The slow pace of life. I miss Ethiopia. It has been about a year since my return to the states. I long for the country so much I feel homesick. Homesick for a place I lived for only three and a half months. A place that was never my home, not really. But what is a home? A place where you keep all of your belongings? Or a place you feel you belong? They are not always the same. Ethiopia became a second home to me in my heart. I miss it. I cannot describe the love I have for that place! That culture. Those people. The hardest thing about it all is I don't know if the Lord would have me return one day or not. My heart longs to run back and live among the people in the midst of the vast beautiful mountains full of mud huts and cattle. But. I hate that word don't you? But, I don't feel as if that is my calling. Maybe one day. Maybe... A word full of hope and also the possibility of utter disappointment. These are words that emphasize the fork in our path. The decisions to be made. So many more decisions lie ahead, I know. I hate those tough decisions of choosing between the will of God and the will of my heart. I know there is no decision to be made. I already made a decision to follow the will of God.
It is times like these that I am at a loss for words. How can simple paper and ink describe the deepest aching of my heart? Sometimes they can't. Sometimes words can only touch the surface of heartache, but how else can we communicate it? My hobby of writing has shown me my love for new words with deep meanings. Sometimes I find English words that I love, and sometimes I stumble across a word from a different language that speaks for my heart better than any word I've found in my own language. Hiraeth. A beautiful word with a sorrowful meaning. It is bittersweet. Ethiopia was never truly my home, and yet, I'm homesick. I may never be given peace about returning, though my heart longs for it.
Please understand, I am so grateful for my time I spent over there! I believe it changed me for the better! Though I miss it dreadfully, I am thankful for the time I had. I know the Lord has me here for a reason. This is my first home. He has replanted me here and continues to urge me to grow right here, even if only for a short season. Maybe one day He will replant me somewhere completely different. It may be somewhere I would have never thought of in a thousand years! That is an exciting thought! Some plants start they're growing process best in a certain soil with delicate care. Once they are strong enough they can be plucked up and replanted in the place they were meant to be. I feel as if that is what my Father is doing for me. Preparing me for new soil. Where I don't know, but He does!
Though I may miss the land of Ethiopia and I may call this place my home I am looking forward to my Heavenly home!
♪♫♪
What a day that will be,
when my Jesus I shall see!
When I look upon His face,
the One who saved me by His grace!
When He takes me by the hand
and leads me through the promised land,
what a day,
glorious day that will be!
♪♫♪
If I can love an earthy place this much, how much more are we going to enjoy our Heavenly home? This thought excites me! This place is going to pass away but I will be planted for good on the higher ground! No more wondering. No more uprooting. Simply peace that passes all understanding! How I look forward to that day!
Yes, my heart is still heavy with longing for far away shores, but I can be happy in knowing that I am not planted here forever! Better things await me on that shore beyond the skies than any other land I know!
I hope you will pray for me! To have patience. To grow where I am planted for God's glory! To have peace and contentment as I grow! To not become weary simply because of the stagnant waters I feel I am in at the moment, but to use it to better myself for the great cause of Christ!
To all my readers, Ah-me-sug-e-na-lew (Thank you) ! I truly appreciate you checking out my blog! Until next Tuesday! Caio (Goodbye)!
Simply,
Sarah
