Preparations for Home (for Lauren)

                It is truly hard to believe that 7 months have already passed, and it is time for me to say goodbye to Sheltering Wings. I remember in September thinking that 7 months is such a long time, and that it would be so hard to live in Africa away from my family, fiancé and friends. And although I will admit that it was not always easy being away from those I love in the States, God gave me a complete peace throughout my entire time here that allowed me to say goodbye to them for a short time, knowing that I would see them again.

               When I first got here, I felt at home right away. Because I had been to Burkina Faso before, I don’t think I went through intense culture shock or really had a hard time adjusting to life here. It wasn’t long before I really felt that this was my home. I could walk to the market to buy food by myself, ride my bike to school at the speed of the Burkinabe kids, or barter a price down to what I was willing to pay for various items. Even though life here is pretty different than the life I live in the States, I almost immediately accepted the lifestyle of Burkina Faso.

                Spending time with the kids of Sheltering Wings has been the one thing I have done almost every single day since getting here. Seeing a baby’s face light up when I throw him up in the air, hearing the uncontrollable laughter of a toddler as I tickle her mercilessly, or watching the older kids try not to laugh at my broken French while I stumble through a conversation with them are the things I look forward to every day. Every single one of the forty kids living at the orphanage has their own unique story, and I feel truly blessed that I was able to be a part of their lives for a chapter.

                And now I am here, a week away from leaving Burkina Faso, and this goodbye is harder than the one I experienced in September. I have made some great friendships and fallen in love with the people that I have met in Yako, Burkina Faso. Even though I have every intention of returning to Sheltering Wings at some point in the future for a visit, I am realizing that it won’t quite be the same when I return. By the time I come back, pretty much all of the babies/toddlers will have either returned to their families or been adopted. So even though I will have the opportunity to meet and play with new little ones, it won’t be the same- I won’t be able to chase Kassoum around with my ‘walking’ fingers, won’t know that Omorou always smiles when someone goes to pick him up, won’t realize Benija will stop crying and immediately smile if you take a picture of him. And this is a really hard concept for me to accept. I can’t help but be a little selfish and think that I need to stay at Sheltering Wings longer because these kids need me here.

But amongst my proud thoughts, I hear God telling me that I need to trust that He will provide. God had it planned for me to be here for a certain time, and it is now time for me to move to a new period in my life. Psalm 139:16 says “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” How great it is to know that God knew that I would come to Burkina Faso (a place I only knew existed 3 years ago) before I was even born! And just because I am leaving does not mean that these kids will not be loved every day. They will still have Mike and Amy, Bekah, and other interns that come for various periods of time. I become humbled when I realize that God never NEEDED me to come to Burkina Faso for 7 months to do His work, but he WANTED me and ALLOWED me to have this great experience. And even though God could have chosen someone smarter, more qualified, or wealthier than me to have this experience, He provided for me every step along the way so that I could have the chance to try to help further His kingdom.

Even though I am accepting that it is time for me to leave Burkina Faso, I am not looking forward to saying the actual goodbyes. I am terrible at goodbyes. And it is never pretty, because when I cry (which always happens, no matter what), it gets pretty bad. So with this, I am asking for lots of prayer, because although I know I need to cry for my own emotional benefit, I don’t want to confuse the kids- the babies and toddlers especially. I plan to make the most of my time the rest of this week and start preparing myself emotionally for this heartbreaking experience, and I know that God will be my comfort throughout it all. Even still, I ask that you pray that God will give me the strength to make it through this transition time for me, and that I can be a light to those around me even during this time.

Thank you for all of your prayers during my time here in Burkina. By God’s grace, I have had the most amazing 7 months possible, and have grown in many ways. I know there is no way I could have made it without God and without all of your prayer and support during this time.