The end is near...

I am sad to say that the end is in sight. Tomorrow morning I leave Pacasmayo, Peru for Lima.
These 10 weeks have been some of the greatest weeks of my entire life. Some very challenging. But I loved every minute of it. Surprisingly it was not hard to adjust and two weeks in, I felt like this was home. It was never hard for me and I did not miss home very often. It's not because I don't love the people at home, because I very much do, it's just that I think God has prepared me for this my entire life and I finally felt like I was doing something that could be a forever thing in my future. I felt at peace and not necessarily comfortable but at home.
I had enough inconveniences for it to still be a challenge and to still have to deny the selfish tendencies that I could allow to come out but coming here was never about me. It was always about those kids. Always for them. I did not come here to find a man. I did not come here to find myself. I did not come here to escape from anything.
I came here for God. I came here to serve the people of this country. I came here to love these kids. And I did and I do. I love these kids with every breath within myself. I want so desperately to take them with me. To adopt some as my own. I want to wipe away all their tears, to give them all the hugs and attention they need to last a lifetime. I want to instill truths into their lives and be a part of their everyday living.
I have been blessed for 10 weeks to share in that, to experience that. They opened their arms to me and welcomed me as their own and I will forever be grateful and indebted to them.
I would be lieing if I said I had not learned anything while being here. Because even though I did not come here for myself, I learned so much about myself, about life, living, about my future, past, and about people and culture. I would not trade this experience for anything.
If I could stay longer, I would but I must return to my friends and family and go to school. God has things for me in the States that I must take care of before I start my journey of the after college experience. I feel as though I shall return within the next year but I trust that God will lead me accordingly. For now I must clean, pack, spend time with the kids, say my goodbyes, and prepare for the next journey that is ahead, knocking at my door. School. Yikes. ha ha!

I leave tomorrow for Lima on the bus at 9:30. I should around sometime around 8 p.m. Then I will take a 45 minute cab ride to the airport. I will remain in the airport until 7 a.m. the following morning when my flight takes off and lands in Panama City, Panama. I have a 3 1/2 hour layover and will depart at 1:59 p.m. for Houston, Texas. In Houston I have an 1 1/2 hour layover before flying to OKC at 7:20 p.m. My sisters Emma and Joanna will be waiting for me at the airport around 8:45 p.m. Friday night and then we will take the 1 1/2 hour drive back to Tulsa!
Please keep me in your prayers as my journey will be long! I am starting to take some medicine today, please pray that it works so that I am not sick on my travels! I thank you all for your support and your love and prayers, it has meant the world to me =]
Sending my love from Peru to the States!