And the countdown has begun! December is here and in two and half weeks I will be setting foot on (cold!) Canadian soil, and will be home for Christmas! I’m excited to spend time with family and friends, enjoy the holidays, and experience some snow and hockey and winter! It’s been too long since I’ve seen snow!
Due to the fact that I’ve been somewhat of a D+ missionary in the blogging department and haven’t posted an update in nearly 2 months, I’m not quite sure where to start on updating! So much has happened yet it’s hard to put it all into words. I’ll start with cooking, since that was to be my primary responsibility in coming here. And it has been, but it has looked quite different that I expected. To begin with, I have been cooking only two days a week, instead of all meals as originally planned. I was slightly disappointed at first, but this has been a huge blessing! My first two days of cooking were a bit stressful, as I was still getting oriented and hadn’t the slightest idea how to cook for nearly 80 people! However, it was a success and I made it through and avoided any major culinary disasters. On the other hand, though, cooking for such a large group is harder than I had envisioned, or perhaps I never really stopped to think what it would really be like. With cooking, planning, and shopping, a day spent cooking for the team is packed and tiring. Just two days a week is plenty for me! And I did experience what it would be like to cook constantly when the other cooks left for over a week. I cooked every meal for the team for 9 days in a row, and though it went off without too many problems, I was exhausted by the end of the week. So, cooking has gone well – quite stressful to begin with, but once I got that over with, it has been fine. While I can’t say that I’ve loved it, or that I’ve never thrown things around in the kitchen when things haven’t quite turned out 😉 , it’s been a good learning experience, and I hope that being able to give the students some familiar meals has blessed them.
Ministry other than to the team has been pretty hard to come by. I’ve only visited the Joshua Project twice, and one of the creches where I worked last year once. So my ministry has been cooking and ministering to the team in any way that I can. And hopefully I will get to see my kids from the JP one last time before I leave Jeffreys.
It’s hard to believe that I have only 2 weeks left here in J-Bay, and then a few days of Debrief in a nearby town, and then it’s on a plane once again! This experience has been hard on me at times, very stretching, but I’m glad God brought me here and He has been faithful to me. His plans and purposes are beyond my understanding and His glory is of utmost importance. And so now I will follow Him as He leads me through these next two weeks, and then home. HOME. I can’t wait!
God bless each one of you. Rest in His love.
Melissa
