Missing Out

The countdown is down to a week. It's so hard to believe that it's almost here. I've known that I've wanted to go spend a year in Uganda, since last July...the first time that I heard about this mission opportunity. Now, here I am, a week away from actually getting to experience it. I think one of the things that I'm most excited about is actually getting to see everything that I've been imagining for the last year. I'm ready to see my apartment. I'm ready to see what Uganda looks like. I'm ready to meet the rest of the team. But most of all, I'm ready to see what God is going to do in the next year. I'm ready to see how he's going to stretch me and challenge me. I can't wait.

As excited as I am to go, I am equally as sad to be leaving. The past two weeks have been full of spending time with loved ones and trying to soak up all these moments that have to last me for a year. I could go on and on and on about the friends that I will miss, but tonight I'm choosing to write about my two beautiful nieces. Now before any of the rest of you get too hurt remember 2 things....1) I have recent pictures of them and this post is also my attempt to learn how to post pictures on this thing. And 2) They're both less than 2 years old and much cuter than anyone else I know.

Just like most aunts, I'm convinced that my nieces are the two most beautiful, funniest, and smartest girls ever to walk on this earth. I've been able to spend some time with each of them in the last few months, and it's been such a blessing to have that time when I think of all the time that I'm about to have to spend away from them. There is just something about missing out on an entire year of a toddler's life that is a little different than missing out on a year of just anyone's life. I feel sure that when I come back in a year most of my friends and family are going to be pretty much the same. They'll act about the same and look pretty much the same. But that's not the case with little ones. They change so much in a month, let alone an entire year. They'll be talking so much more and they'll look so much more grown up. That is what makes leaving them especially hard. I hate that I'm going to miss out on so much of their young lives.

Sidney is almost 22 months old and I was blessed to spend a week with her and my sister and brother-in-law back in March. I went to visit them in Maryland for my spring break and had an awesome time. It was so great to just be able to have those last moments with her before I'm gone for the year. She's growing up so fast and she has so much personality. She would wake up every morning that I was there and one of the first things she'd say was, "Betsy, downstairs." My sister would try to keep her distracted for about an hour so I could sleep until at least 8:30 or so and then I would wake up to Sid's sweet voice. I never wake up in such a great mood as I do when she wakes me up. Kennedy will turn 2 on June 7th, the day that I arrive in Mbarara. It's hard enough to miss her 2nd birthday by only 2 days, but it makes it even harder when my sister tells me that when she mentions the birthday party to Kennedy she replies with "Betsy coming! Betsy coming!" I hate that I'm missing it and I hate that she's old enough to know that I'm missing it. But I feel pretty sure that as soon as she sees the Dora cake, Dora doll house, Dora umbrella, Dora toys (she's slightly obsessed with Dora), she'll quickly be quite alright with the fact that I'm not there.

Even though I'll miss my girls, I know that they're going to be taken care of. God has blessed them both with the greatest parents they could have ever hoped for. I am so blessed not only to be in the lives of such sweet girls, but to be able to see incredible examples of what it means to raise your children in a Godly manner from day 1. I'm thankful for my sisters and brother-in-laws and the things that they teach me daily. And all I have to say about missing my nieces is thank God for the invention of a web cams and ichat!