Miraculously, my coworkers were willing to cover my shifts while I was away, and the hope of a two week vacation gave me the extra boost of energy that I needed to fight through exam week and even get my 4.0's. Once I finished my semester, I felt like I could breathe again, and deep within I felt that God was about to show me something incredible on my upcoming journey.
Several days before I was scheduled to leave for Virginia, I checked my college e-mail account and discovered that the class I planned to take over the summer had been cancelled due to low enrollment. At first I was aggravated because this was an essential class for me to take in order to keep in line with my plans for starting the nursing program. However, Jeremiah 29:11 was fresh in my mind, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,'" and I began to ask God whether He had something different in mind for me--obviously, He did! Instantly, the thought of returning to Mozambique came to mind, but I decided to wait and pray before doing anything rash.
I left for Virginia excited to see my brother and his family and excited to see what God would do. As I flew through the clouds that dark night, I had an overwhelming peace. I opened my Bible to Acts and began reading about Paul getting ship-wrecked. "When a good wind began to blow from the south, the men on the ship thought, 'This is the wind we wanted, and now we have it.' So they pulled up the anchor, and we sailed very close to the island of Crete. But then a very strong wind named the “northeaster” came from the island. The ship was caught in it and could not sail against it. So we stopped trying and let the wind carry us." Clearly, God had a different plan for me beyond what I thought was best, so I decided to stop trying and let God carry me.
Once I arrived in Virginia and was united with my brother, sister-in-law, and their beautiful children, I was overwhelmed by God's love through them. I received physical rest and so much spiritual encouragement. I loved the deep conversations with Josiah and Jenny. The giggles, hugs, and kisses of my niece and nephew melted my heart. I began sharing about the recent change of plans in my life and my desire to return to Mozambique. Also, during that week, I received an e-mail from my missionary friends in Mozambique inviting me to come stay with and work alongside them. After much prayer and long conversations, I left to return home with an unexplainable joy and a heart ready to take the necessary steps to return to Mozambique. As an extra blessing, an unexpected financial gift was contributed to my endeavors. God was opening doors, and I was eager to walk through them.
Now it is August 24, 2013. I am vaccinated and prayed up. I have tickets in my name for Maputo, Mozambique, and visa complications have been worked out. In three weeks, I will be leaving to spend eleven weeks working with the cancer patients at Hospital Central de Maputo, and you have come to the right spot to follow my journey. My heart is overjoyed; Jesus is with me every step of the way, and this is just the beginning!
