Processing It All

Hi guys!

Well its been over a week since I have joined you back in the States. I really meant to write this sooner but I was waiting for a picture that I wanted to include - which I'll show later. So the flight back was interesting. We definitely missed our last flight from Atlanta to Indianapolis. We got off late from Johannesburg and then we hit a 170 MPH headwind that caused us to be late. We knew we were pushing our limits anyway since originally we had 2 hours to go through customs, immigration, get our bags, and recheck them through U.S. security =) Praise God one of the my friend's moms works for delta. She had all 19 of us booked on a new plane in an hour. We were still literally sprinting to our next plane but we all made it through just in time. We got in around 11 so all in all we were only 50 min. late. When we got home we seriously felt like celebrities since there was like a tunnel of people with signs, balloons, flowers, cameras flashing everywhere, and a lot of screams - lets just say I really enjoyed it =)

Thanksgiving around my house was great! My parents had us stay here to kind of ease me back into culture - which was a very good decision. That week though we got our Christmas tree which is always a huge event in our house, went to see Blindside ( a movie all 5 of us agreed on and liked - which is about the 3rd movie in my entire life this has happened), and of course went to Hacienda =) I had a tv/talking marathon with Liz since we both have the same favorite show and she waited for me to come back to watch it - so we had 10 episodes to watch in 4 days and we talked for hours so I could get caught up on ALL the details of her life. I definitely helped Ben apply for college! Apparently he couldn't do it without me =) Ben makes me laugh harder than anyone I know so that was just fun! Thanksgiving was good, really good =)

I quickly had to switch gears and head back to school on Sunday for Meetings all day Monday! The nursing department, the global studies department, the history department, and the academic affairs department all wanted to meet. It was a long day! We all went through a bit of culture shock just in the cafeteria trying to get lunch. I sat down and my friend sat next to me and said, "Are you shaking?!?!" and I was like O yeah!!!! It was just a lot of people all at once that we weren't used to but we definitely were laughing as we watched each person from our group come to the table and just give the biggest sigh!

Tuesday was such a blessing! We took a break from culture and just went to the professor's house who took us. We watched a movie that was in Africa, had a Mexican lunch, and then told our funniest story that only they would truly understand! I was laughing so hard I was crying! It was a time of rejuvenation when it seemed like life just stopped =) After that though we went back to school and definitely went to the IWU/Bethel basketball game, which was something I really missed at school! Wednesday was finals - we will see how all that turns out, hopefully well =) Then I had lunch with a great friend and then came home.



Over this week there have been so many emotions. Now that I am done with school and just kind of reflecting I am processing a lot of things that happened on this trip. I am so much stronger than when I left, in so many areas. This trip was a blessing and I would go back again in a second if I had the opportunity available. The people in Africa have such a different view on life - passion comes through in everything and I mean everything they do. I really do miss seeing that!

Overall, I haven't felt any extreme culture shock - driving I think has been my biggest problem =) Different side of the car and on the a different side of the road kind of through me for a loop especially on black Friday! I have been missing it though, I keep having more and more dreams about Africa which I find to be great - Its a little gift while I sleep!



I did/do have an overwhelming sense of peace though when I left Africa. We were walking out of the Johannesburg airport and I saw this sign.....



I just truly felt God telling me that this was His promise to me. I have had a lot of prophecies about Africa in my life. Some were fulfilled to the fullest while I was in Zambia, some though weren't and I know that God has more for me! So seeing this sign helped me so much in coming home. I knew it was time and it has been good being home =)

Thanks to you guy's encouragement and prayers I never felt homesick the whole time I was there. I can say I was one of the few in our group who came away with out feeling homesick. This was a huge issue because then I could take each day and each opportunity God gave me to live it and minister to the fullest. This also helped me as I walked onto the plane because I knew I loved, cried, talked, laughed, and listened to everyone I was supposed to!

The whole time I was there I experienced every word of this passage so I just wanted to leave you with it! Again thanks for everything you have done for me over this whole chapter in my life. I can never express how wonderful it was, but I will keep trying. I know my parents have me scheduled to speak in church in 2 weeks so for some of you - pictures are coming!

love

janna

A Time for Everything - Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace