Halfway and Thankful

So today marks the exact halfway point of my time here in Uganda. Crazy, I know. I can hardly believe that I've been here for 5 1/2 months, and it's even harder to believe that I'll be home in less than six. I think it's a pretty awesome coincidence that the midpoint of this adventure falls on Thanksgiving Day. Thinking back on the past few months of my life and looking forward to the rest of this year makes me realize just how much I have to be thankful for.

I'm thankful that God brought me to Africa to teach me some things that I just wasn't quite getting in America. I'm thankful that He gave me a partner in ministry and one of the best friends I could ever ask for to walk this journey with me. I'm thankful for the many friends back in the states who faithfully read this thing, email encouragement, and most importantly, pray for me. I'm thankful that I see God in the good days in Uganda, and even in the bad days.

I'm thankful for the mission team that I am privileged to be a part of. I'm thankful for the new friends that I have made here, not only with the missionaries, but also with the Ugandans. I'm thankful that I live in an incredibly fun hostel where people drop by our apartment all the time. I'm even thankful that we had to pause our movie for 30 minutes tonight while we had five unexpected visitors. I'll miss that when I come home in May. I'm thankful to be able to see faces light up when we give our friends new Bibles that were just sent to us and hear knocks at the door of people wanting more. I'm thankful for the hostel Bible study we have every Wednesday and the way that those girls never cease to amaze me and change me. I'm thankful for friends like Rachel and Fiona who make me laugh so hard that I forget I'm living in an underdeveloped country thousands of miles away from everything that is comfortable.

I'm thankful for times of being stretched and grown. I'm thankful for the chance to go the village today (even if it was a little surreal eating matooke, g-nut sauce and kasava root for Thanksgiving). I'm thankful for how comfortable and at home I feel in a place where all of the comforts I'm used to are so far away. I'm thankful that I'm absolutely in love with chapati and chai...can you imagine how awful this year would be if I didn't love the food? I'm also thankful that on Saturday I will get to enjoy a Thanksgiving feast with turkey, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, and pumpkin pie. I'm thankful that Gigi will be here tomorrow to help these two amateurs make the four pies that we're in charge of bringing. :) I'm thankful that I look out my windows to see one of the most beautiful views in the world, and I get to go running by mountains everyday. I'm thankful that I feel completely alive and at peace knowing that I am where God wants me to be right now.

I'm thankful that Mom and Dave are coming to visit in 32 days!! I'm thankful that two days after they leave, Jessica will be here! I'm thankful that I got to talk to all of my family today, minus Laura and Picker who are bums and didn't answer their phones. :) I'm thankful that when I get home in May I'll have a new niece and new nephew waiting for me, plus two incredibly beautiful girls who will have grown so much. I'm thankful that God blessed me with a family who never questioned, but only supported my decision to move to Uganda for a year.

I hope that you didn't read the title of this post and think that I am thankful because I am halfway done with this year. That couldn't be further from the truth. Instead, I am thankful that I still have the second half of this year left. Don't get me wrong...I miss my friends and family so much and May 10 will be a happy day to be back in the states. But this journey is not finished. There is so much of the adventure still left to live, and I'm convinced that there is so much more that God is waiting to teach me. Thanks for walking the first half of this year with me. I don't know about you, but I'm excited to see what's in store for the next six months. I'm thankful for all of you, and I hope you all have an incredible Thanksgiving.