First impressions

We all know that first impressions are important. They can open doors that can take you on an adventure or close them to great possibilities. I don't give great first impressions so I really try hard not to base people off of this one meeting. Some days you are having an off day so that impression is not so great, and some give great first impressions and you find that they really aren't all that.


But Ethiopia. My first impression was NOTHING that I expected and a whole lot more! I never expected to walk off the plane and feel her arms embrace this girl from Texas like a long lost daughter. To feel the kisses on my cheeks from this mama I'd never met before was such a sweet moment. Ethiopia! The home I'd longed for for so long. I remember as we were driving through the city of Addis, thinking, "I wont feel this way in just a few days. This is new. Exciting. I'm really here." As the days started to pass, I kept waiting for the awe, the comfort of home, the feeling of belonging to fade. But they didn't. If anything, the intensity of that first meeting kept growing. I would stare out the window as we drove from place to place thanking God for the peace of being in this country. For the opportunity to meet some amazing people. I still wasnt sure why I was on this trip. I just knew for the first time, in a long time, I felt alive. One of the things said on this trip was that there was an awakening happening in us. I have to agree with that statement. Now, PLEASE HEAR ME! I LOVE MY FAMILY! I love being mom and wife. I know that is my first ministry. I'm not good at either of them but those two things are the things that God placed in my lap first and I take them very seriously. But to know you were created for something else and to find the place where you fit, it awakens your spirit. It gives you new purpose. Because the truth of it all is, at some point I will have an empty nest. My kids will all be grown (Bella will be gone in as soon as a few short years) and then what? Please know, I'm not making excuses for my journey either. I just know this is a seed God planted at least 5 years ago, has watered in different ways and now is cultivating it in a very big way.

Ethiopia. An amazing country. Amazing people. Amazing team. I was told I might leave a part of my heart there. Well, I most definetly did so. It's hard coming home knowing that part of me was left behind. A big part.

STWTHE,
Laurie