Back from upline...

After a 12+ hour journey yesterday, we found ourselves back in our home in Freetown. Our trip upcountry was excellent, filled with all sorts of adventures. There were many cultural experiences. Many fun times but also sad times. More blog posts to follow in the New Year...but here is a glimpse of the diversity.

From picking potato leaves in the garden for our dinner to hearing about a very sick 13 year old.
From meeting the 13 year old and taking her urgently to a hospital across the border to walking around Koindu and seeing its ruins.
From eating dinner at the 'cookery' in the evenings (local 'restaurant' with rice and sauce) to playing with the kids outside of our guest house.
From walking to the place our neighbor fetches her water to touring diamond mines.
From bucket showers to standing in a hut praying with the family who lost their 13 year old daughter.
From star gazing in the silence of the night to driving on a bumpy road for hours.

It has been an incredible trip and I have learned a lot over the past few days. My mind has definitely been on the run with lots to think about. One of the verses that sticks out to me is: "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9 (New Living Translation). So, even though I have questions, even though I faced an unexpected (or unhoped for) outcome, I need to remember He has a plan. We can't see the big picture. He can. All I need to do is trust in Him. He has never let me down. What a great thought to carry into the New Year.