Floods, Summer School, the ICU, and Dad's Heart Attack

It was just about a month ago that I wrote my last blog post.

It was just about 3 weeks ago that I finished my freshman year of college.

It was just about 2 weeks ago that my house flooded.

It was just about 7 days ago when my best friend, Ryan N., was hit by an 18 wheeler on his way home from helping me move into my apartment.

It was just about 6 days ago when my dad had a heart attack.

It was just about an hour ago that I learned that Ryan might be waking up today.

And through all this, my Savior has been near and FAITHFUL.

Some say hellacious. I sure did. But now, I stand amazed at the goodness of the Lord. Now, I know that I am to sing blessed be the name of the Lord at ALL times of my life.

My last few weeks of college went even faster than my first few weeks of college. Between exams, projects, packing, goodbyes, a new kitten...it's a blur! But it was so fun. And I truly loved my freshman year. I can't wait for my sophomore year.

On April 30th, I went home to Franklin for the weekend, and to take a load of my junk home, because there was absolutely no way it could all fit into my car in one trip. So I went home. It began to rain Friday night. And all day Saturday. My home backs up to a flood plain, and beyond that is the Harpeth River. Saturday afternoon, the river began to rise. Saturday evening, the river was in my backyard, and had become more of a lake. Saturday night, the river/lake was licking at both my back door and my front door.

Sunday morning, the water had receded. But my front yard looked like the picture above. And the water only began to rise. Sunday afternoon at about 1, the water began to come into my house. At about 2 oclock, we had 3 inches in our downstairs, and my dad made the call to evacuate. We had moved everything upstairs on Saturday, so most of our stuff was saved from the flood waters.

Lucy looks out the window at the flood waters rising.

The neighbor's backyard at about 1 oclock on Sunday afternoon. Also pictured is part of my backyard.

We left the house out of our dining room window. The water in our front yard was up to my thighs, and at its deepest point it was past my waist. We swam around the corner and down the street. We were picked up by firemen in a life raft. The dog was with us, in my dad's arms. She was terrified, so she was put in the life raft, along with my brother and our backpacks and duffle bags. We waded to the end of the street where we were picked up and taken to the Clubhouse in my neighborhood. From there were were bused to The People's Church (hooray for my home church being a Red Cross Shelter!). Since Lucy (my beagle/cocker spaniel mix) was with us, we weren't going to stay at TPC. The fantastic Baldwin Family came and picked my family and I up and housed us for the night.

Monday morning, we woke up and went to check out our house. We had 13 inches of water in the downstairs, and had to gut the drywall (up to 4 feet) and flooring out, along with the whole kitchen. My mom's excited about that...she gets a new kitchen!

But throughout the week after the flood, (the first week of May) my family was consistently reminded of the Lord's goodness and His providing hand. COUNTLESS stories can be told. My dad needing a mechanic, and one showing up at the house literally 5 minutes later (without a phone call or anything!), people bringing us food (we had enough food to last us a good long while!), and all the volunteers. My family started having to turn volunteers away we had so much help. It was absolutely amazing. God is so good! The dry wallers/ rebuilders are at my house this week putting us back together. :)

So this past Monday, I came back to Lee for summer school. It's just three weeks, and one physical science class. It's 4 hours long and rather dull, but at least I get it out of the way in 3 weeks!

Monday night as Anna (one of the Simmons Sisters, and my female best friend here at Lee) and I were unpacking and moving into our apartment, we called Ryan N. over to help us move a couch out of storage and into our apartment. He had a truck, that's why we called him. Anna and I both drive cute little cars...that are in no way suitable for hauling couches across town.

Ryan came up from Dalton, Georgia to help us move heavy boxes and the couch. We weren't able to get the couch out of storage, we didn't have a key to get into the unit. So we went to Target instead, to pick up "essentials." Which included soap that smells like mangos, a trash can large enough for me to live in, air freshener, and Saran Wrap.

After our Target run, we ordered a pizza. We ate it on the floor of mine and Anna's apartment, since we were severely lacking furniture. It was fun to catch up and laugh. At about 8:20, Ryan left to go home to Dalton.

At 9:30, Ryan T. (a very good mutual friend of Ryan N. and I) called me and told me there had been an accident. He said that Ryan N. was involved in a wreck on Dalton Pike, and that he had, at most, a broken leg. Ryan T. also told me that the Man Clan (that's what Anna and I have dubbed them. They are the three boys that Ryan N hangs out with remind me a lot of the Man Clan back in Franklin!) were already at the hospital in Cleveland, and that Anna and I were more than welcome to come too. So we loaded up and headed down the road.

Once at SkyRidge, we met up with the guys...and heard that an ambulance with Ryan N. hadn't been by. Anna and I went into the ER to check if Ryan N had been checked into the system. The man at the desk told us that he hadn't. So we went back outside and hung out until we had more information.

Then the phone call came.

Ryan N. was being airlifted to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga. The lot of us loaded up in Ryan T's Explorer and booked it into Chattanooga. We made it in 15 minutes, but it felt like an eternity to get to the hospital. Once there, we made our way to the emergency room and asked for the Narramores. The lady at the desk told us that Mama and Papa Narramore were in the Family Waiting Room. We went in and sat with them and asked what the latest news was.

Papa Narramore told us that Ryan had been hit by a semi and was in surgery. He said that Ry had a ruptured spleen, a bleeding liver, a swelling brain, a broken leg, and two broken arms. He also informed us that the doctors had given my best friend a 50/50 chance of survival.

I felt like I had been sucker punched. I felt like I was simultaneously going to throw up, faint, and cry at the same time. I left the room and called my mom. And the tears started. This boy, who has seen me through such a hard season of my life, was standing at death's door, according to the doctor. Ryan, my best friend. Ryan, the one who makes me laugh and sings country songs loudly and wears boots and holds the door open for little old ladies and gives 5 dollar bills to the homeless man by the interstate exit, had a 50/50 chance of survival. I might not have ever see him again. I might not have ever been able to punch him in the arm when he called me a tard. I might not have ever been able to hear his advice again. My world, and the world of his closest friends, came to a screeching halt.

People that were important to Ryan began to arrive in the ER as the word spread. Pastors from Grove Level, Ryan T's mom, the Douglases, friends from Lee, faculty from Lee. We all prayed and waited for an answer from the doctors.

In about three hours, the doctors came out and told us that Ryan had survived surgery, but he had lost about 30-40 units of blood and his brain was still swelling. They also told us that it wasn't a day by day fight for Ryan, but an hour by hour battle. The doctors left, and more texts were sent. More family and friends came.

At 3:30, Anna and I had to come back to Lee for our class that started on Tuesday morning. We came home and crashed.

At 7:45, I woke up and called my mom. She asked how Ryan was, and I told her that the doctors were going to put pins and casts on his arms and legs, along with a gauge to measure brain activity that day (Tuesday).

Mom then told me that she had something to tell me. My stomach instantly plummeted, and I knew that my dad had had a heart attack. When she told me that's what happened, I began to cry. My house was only half liveable, my best friend was in critical condition, and now my dad was in the hospital from a heart attack. My life was quickly becoming chaotic.

Mom assured me that my dad was okay, and that he was stable. She said that his heart attack was minor, and that he was going to be okay. I couldn't help but be fearful. What if it happened again? What if my dad died from this? He wouldn't be able to see me graduate college or walk me down the aisle on my wedding day or hold his grandbabies. I'm very very very close to my dad, and these thoughts broke my heart. But mom assured me that dad was alright.

I went to class, and through my day, all in constant communication with my family and friends about dad's condition and Ryan's condition. Prayers were being prayed all over the world for both these men that mean so much to me.

Dad and I at my Senior Prom

Ryan teaching V how to shoot a rifle.

Tuesday night, Anna, the Man Clan, and I, all went to the hospital. We were hoping to see Ryan, but we were not able to. His brain was still very sensitive to swelling, and it was under stress when a lot of people were in the room. So we just hung out in the waiting room, trying to keep everything positive and uplifting. The boys did a great job of making us laugh, and we had a great time getting to know one another even more.

I found out how Ryan's wreck happened that night. He was on Dalton Pike going home, and was trying to pass multiple cars in his lane. This road is a two lane, straight shot, highway. He pulled into the left lane and there was a semi truck coming at him from a long distance off. The semi saw Ryan in his lane, and pulled off the road as far as he could. But Ryan couldn't clear it, and clipped the side of the semi.

It's a miracle that he lived through the wreck. God has SO got big plans for this boy!

We also heard that he was in rough condition in the ICU. Carly, his girlfriend, told us that there were lots of tubes and machines, but that he looked just like Ryan always has. No facial swelling, no scratches or bruises.

That night was rough. I came home and cried. I didn't know what was going to happen. I hit my knees and prayed hard. Anna, the superwoman that she is, cooked spaghetti for dinner. We ate it and watched Glee together, which put me in a better mood.

Wednesday, good news came. Ryan had a surgery to revist his liver (they had removed part of it, along with taking out his ruptured spleen) to check for continued bleeding. But- miracle!- there was NO MORE INTERNAL BLEEDING. And!!!!---- HIS BRAIN HAD STARTED DRAINING ON IT'S OWN. He was pumping blood on his own, and his brain swelling was going down. We were so happy. We cried happy tears, and danced around and sang praises to the King. Ryan's a fighter, and the Lord is merciful and mighty!

(I didn't go to the hospital on Wednesday, instead I was able to have date night with Chad. It was MARVELOUS to see him and get a hug and a kiss. He is really really amazing. I am so incredibly thankful for him. The ways he has impacted and blessed my life are beyond measure. :) )

Wednesday night, Ryan tried breathing on his own. HE WAS BREATHING ON HIS OWN. God is SO AWESOME. The doctors didn't want Ryan using his energy, so they gave him a paralytic to help him save his energy. But what a big step!

Thursday was a quiet day on the Ryan front. Dad was discharged from the hospital, and sent home in good spirits. I was able to go to the hospital yesterday (Thursday) afternoon, with hopes of seeing Ryan. But I wasn't able to. I hung out with his family, and updated them on my house and my dad's condition. We laughed and shared sweet stories of Ryan. I also spent lots of time with Carly, Ryan's girlfriend.

Today, more great news came. Color is coming back to Ryan's lips and cheeks. His brain pressure is the best it has been, and the doctors are going to attempt to take Ryan off his sedation to see if his body can handle being awake. If not, they will try again later.

All in all, it has been a crazy few weeks. It really is true that with Christ, all things are possible. It really is true that whatever doesn't kill you only makes you stronger (thank you, Kanye West, for that great piece of advice). It really is true that I have grown up a little more in the past 14 days. It really is true that God is still in the business of miracles, and that He hears my prayers and the prayers of so many around this globe. It really is true that He is King of Kings, and His name is greatly to be praised, come high waters, heart attacks, or serious car crashes. Because He cares, He loves, and He is in CONTROL.

Summer has started. Not really with the bang that I wanted it to, but it's okay. I've learned more and loved more and listened more. I am thankful for what God is doing and what He has planned for my future.

All the glory belongs to Him. I am just the messenger.

The Time Has Come...

...For me to blog again.

I'm just a mess. I've got so many thoughts bouncing around in my head. All I want to do is:
A) paint.
B) sleep.
C) go home and crawl into my bed and have soup and just recover from this semester.
D) go back to Atlanta and goof off with the boy.
E) GO HOME.

I love Lee. Don't get me wrong. But today (and the past few days for that matter) has just been a little season of missing home. I miss Nashville, I miss Franklin. I miss swimming holes and Fusion and (gasp!) FHS. I guess I'm just burnt out on school and such. But I miss home. Miranda Lambert has this song out called "The House That Built Me." It makes me bawl everytime I hear it because I've grown up in the same house for 15 years, and because Franklin "
built" me. People laugh at how much I talk about Nashville. But I truly do miss it. And love it. It is my hometown.





<< Me in the first few weeks of college.

>>Me and Court (I'm on the right) today.


I am almost done with my first year of college. This freaks the tar outta me. For multiple reasons. I've grown soooo much! But it's just weird. Because I guess it really hasn't set in that I'm in COLLEGE. I'm almost a SOPHOMORE in COLLEGE. In THREE YEARS I will have my own classroom. Wooooa.

I'm almost done with my first year of college. That's so strange. No longer am I going to be a freshman, but a sophomore. It doesn't seem like that big a difference, but at the same time, it seems like a WORLD of difference. It's really really strange. I guess it's so strange because I am making decisions everyday that affect the rest of my life. Freaky.

I've changed SO much in the past 9 months. It's really kinda strange and sometimes makes me nervous that I'm not being true to myself, or that I'm going to let someone down by changing. But I feel like it's change for the better. I feel like I am growing, even though sometimes I have to take steps backward first, in order to take giant leaps forward.

Top Ten Things I've Learned During My Freshman Year (so far):
1. I am a clean person. (My parents thought I was kidding when I said this. But I'm not. I'm an extremely clean person now that I'm living on my own.)
2. It's never too late for a Steak and Shake run....
3. ....or a Krispy Kreme run...
4. ....or a Taco Bell run.
5. a 4.0 IS possible.
6. Time management is KEY.
7. Find a quiet place where you can be alone. Visit that place everyday.
8. Professors do care.
9. Adventuring, by yourself or with others, is a really fun Sunday afternoon activity.
10. You can never ever ever visit WalMart too many times in one week. (I think my record is 4 times in one week.)

Of course, there are serious things that I've learned as well. There have been ups, and there have been downs. There have been insanely frustrating moments, and there have been moments when I want to leap for joy. It can get really really tiring, all these ups and downs. But it's such a rush. It's such a thrill, getting to experience college and life on my "own."

All in all, I am thankful. All in all, I wouldn't trade college life, and this past year, for anything in the world. The Lord has been FAITHFUL and GOOD. He has seen me through rough times and great times. And it is by His strength and love that I live from day to day.

I can't wait for the summer. I'm not just saying that because I'm ready for school to be out, but I know that the Lord has big plans for this summer. :) And I can't wait for Him to reveal those plans!

Oh, Life.

GOD IS SO GOOD.
GOD IS SO GOOD.
GOD IS SO GOOD.

His loving kindness and overflowing mercy astound me.
He is so good!

I'm back at Lee for my second semester of freshman year. I feel so much older. More mature. Stronger. It's strange.

But I did go through that phase this past week of feeling "lost." I realized I hadn't picked up a brush in months, or read just for the fun of it, or baked, or gone out shooting for photography, or taken a walk, or anything like that. And I missed it.

But now, I'm in Franklin for the weekend. I've only been here a few hours, and I already feel filled. My Franklin tank was getting low. It's full now. I'm laying in my bed, listening to Andy McKee, eating Cheeto Puffs, and blogging.

My idea of a fantastic Friday night.

Something nags at my heart, however. Plays its strings, and calls out from a deep place. I'm in my literal home. My parents are down the hallway, and I'm laying in my bed in my room surrounded by memories of my life before college...but I know deep down inside, in my heart of hearts...

I'm not home.

Because home is a place on the other side of this planet. Home is a little mud hut, surrounded by other little mud huts, surrounded by the Father's love and the Father's presence. Home is a one-roomed church/school house filled with hundreds of little bodies singing praises to the King.

Home is where the heart is.
And my heart isn't here.
It's in Africa.

So now, I embark on this interesting journey. Well, more like continue on it. But with a different flavor. Because after I got back from Malawi in the summer of 2009, I knew that I wouldn't be going back.

Or so I thought.

But tonight, something drew me to those pictures. And something twisted my heart. And something called me home.

I fall on my knees. And pray. Hard. Because if the Lord IS calling me back, there have to be a lot of things that happen in a very short period of time. Money has to come in, schedules have to open up, and a spot on the team has to open up.

But if it's His will, He will make a way. Because HE WORKS EVERYTHING OUT FOR MY GOOD.

Lately, I've been praying for Dad's will to be done in different aspects of my life. With my new boyfriend, with my Sophomore year at Lee, with my summer...

But then, something dawned on me. I have given the Lord a coloring sheet and a crayon and kindly said, "Please color this section, this section, and this section in your will. But stay in those sections.

Now I am giving Him a canvas and a paintbrush and asking Him to paint the CANVAS OF MY LIFE in a beautiful rainbow of colors. Because I don't want to compartmentalize. I want Him to be moving, living, breathing, flowing into every nook and cranny of my crazy life. I want to overflow with His love...and give Him all the glory for everything He does.

I wait. I pray. I journal. I cry. I laugh. I dance. I sing. I hope. I love. And I dream.
I am clay in the Father's hands, destined for greatness.
Let His will be done.

Shameless Plug

Graduated with this guy.
Now he's at SAIC, totally rocking face.

Here's the link to his blog.
Czechitout.

Prone To Wander...and Wonder

The past few days have been a challenge. The past few weeks have been a challenge. The past few months have been a challenge.

But I've loved almost every minute of it.

I've especially loved the minutes that I remember that I have a Heavenly Father who cares enough about me to provide for my every need. My need to be loved, my need to be encouraged, my need to be held and whispered to....all of them! And man, does this move me to tears.

Because honestly, I'm really not a good Christian. I have a tendency to wander and wonder. I wander away from the God that I so dearly love and I know so dearly loves me. I wander into the arms of earthly things or people, looking to them to fulfill my every need. But they cannot- they are earthly beings, fallen children just like I am.

I wonder at what God is up to. There are many moments that I get frustrated because I can't see the big picture. There are moments that I just want to hurry up and graduate college and start teaching and get married and live in Africa and have a family and live happily ever after. And there are moments that I wonder on a more short term basis....I am not patient, and when I see that God is taking His sweet time unfolding something for me, I like to hurry it along. But usually that winds up in something going wrong.

So I'm learning. I'm learning to trust, and allow Dad to love on me and take me into the desert place and speak tenderly to me, like Scripture says in Hosea. It's hard sometimes because God isn't always tangible. I am really affectionate. That's my receiving love language. I love hugs and kisses and hand holding and snuggling. But since the Lord isn't here physically, I can't always feel Him hugging me or holding my hand or dancing with me through fields of wildflowers.

But I know He is.

When the sun shines on my face, or the wind blows my hair, I can't help but think, "I bet Dad's thinking how beautiful I am right now. Look at how my hair sparkles in the sunshine, or how it dances in the wind. He is so enthralled by my beauty!" And this makes me so excited.

Then there are those moments where I am enthralled by HIS beauty. The fog lifting from the mountains in Chattanooga, or the stars here in Franklin the other night, or those precious little chocolate-colored faces that swim into my night time dreams and my day time dreams quite frequently...they all captivate me because they are such a perfect picture of God's love and His beauty.

A very important person has recently stepped out of my life, and I've been really having to rely on Dad to carry me lately. There are moments when I feel physical pain due to this loss. There are moments when I can't help but to break down and cry. There are moments when I ask God "Why?" and there are moments when I want to undo everything that happened. But I was reading on Katie Davis' blog the other day about how when someone steps out of our life, and we feel that pain and heartache, that MUST be how Christ feels when we lose sight of Him. It says in Scripture that when the Shepherd loses just one sheep out of 100, He goes looking for it. Sometimes I am that sheep. Most of the time, I'm embarrassed at the place He finds me in. Not literally, but heart-wise. Sometimes other things have taken over His throne, and I am ashamed. But He lifts my head with His hand, looks into my eyes, picks me up, and carries me Home.

I am the Prodigal Daughter. I am the Lost Sheep. But most importantly, I am a Daughter, a Warrior, an Heir, and a Princess. I am His, and He is mine.

Once Upon A Time...

...I used to blog more.
...I was a high school student.


But now. Now I'm not a high school student. No longer do I have a principal, a locker combination to remember, or my own bedroom. Now I answer to college professors, enjoy sharing a 9' by 14' room with one of my best friends, and have about 48 different numbers, passwords, and usernames to remember.

But boy howdy, DO I LOVE IT.

I'm at Lee University. I get along with this place like peanut butter and jelly get along. It's beautiful. It's nestled right in the middle of las montanas (or "the mountains" for all you non-Spanish extraordinares out there), the people here are INCREDIBLY God- breathed, and the Lord thrives on this campus.

College is a little weird, though. No longer am I surrounded by the people that helped me be "me." I know that first and foremost Christ, and my relationship with Him, defines who I am. But in a sense, you can't help but to cash in on what others say about you, think about you, and act toward you. At home in Franklin, I was Amberly, the Africa-loving, sweet pea, art freak. Now I'm Amberly the....

It's a clean slate, is what it is. It's completely exciting but insanely disturbing at the same time. I get this EXACT feeling staring at a literal blank canvas before a painting. There are so many different directions that I can go. But I feel that tug toward the "known," toward my past, toward my roots. I know that I'll remain faithful to my roots for the rest of my life, to one extent or another. I'll always love kids and have a really, really, really, really big heart for other countries, most specifically the continent of Africa. I'll always feel absolutely perfect with a brush in my hand and Ray LaMontagne on my radio.

But now, now I'm in a new culture. Gone are the cowboy boots and cowboy hats. Gone is the Pancake Pantry. Gone are the TPC Youth Kids. Gone are my parents (well, not literally GONE, but out of my everyday life). Gone is the Nashvillian Culture. (Isn't it funny that you don't realize how INSANELY AWESOME a place is until you leave it?) Gone is my bedroom. Gone is my house with all its little creaks and groans in the night. Gone is my favorite bookstore, with my favorite overstuffed sofa. Gone are my backroads that provided therapy for so many frustrating days. Gone are my carpool buddies that would accompany me in a lively (and very off key) rendition of "Gone" by NSYNC.

And in their place are beautiful trees. New people. New family that lives within 30 steps of me (and shares the same bathroom that I do). An insanely amazing boyfriend. Fantastic opportunities to positively impact the world around me for the glory of the Father. Beautiful parks. An "adoptive" mom and dad that live 20 minutes from here. Freedom out the wazoo. Cleveland Culture...which isn't as awesome or inspiring as that of Nashville, but still offers some interesting opportunities. Free food. And lots of it.

So in short, I miss home. But I love it here, and I know that the Lord has me here for a reason. I love love love Lee. There are definitely tough days, but I'm gonna have those anywhere. But here, the fantastic days far outweigh the tough days.

Top 10 Memories So Far:
1. Meeting my boyfriend in the ID line.
2. Party in the USA music video making.
3. Girl's Nights
4. Spending more time (and money) at Wal Mart than ever before.
5. Seeing yellow butterflies EVERYWHERE.
6. The sunsets here.
7. Meeting more people than I could ever imagine in the span of about 49 minutes.
8. Having professors tell you their testimonies.
9. Having professors remind you that they're praying for you.
10. Learning that you really DO change freshman year.

Top 10 Things I'm Looking Forward T0
1. THANKSGIVING BREAK!! (Dalton, Mississippi, extended-family meeting, food-consuming...)
2. Christmas Break! (Franklin, Gatlinburg, hot-tubbing, cookie making, girls nighting...)
3. Small Groups the rest of the year
4. My art classes next semester
5. Tutoring elementary schoolers next semester
6. Spring Break
7. Urban Outreach Weekend 1 and 2.
8. Skype dates with Neens and Em.
9. Continuing to teach my kindergarten Sunday School class.
10. Even MORE baking parties.

So here's to you, College Adventure. I love you so far!

Ps--- This is my shameless plug for Em, my seestar. She's going to North Africa this Spring. CHECK IT OUT: http://emifaye.blogspot.com/

Nashville, Malawi, and Everywere In Between.

I have returned!

I've returned from Malawi, and the month of chaos that followed. And here I am, basking in the cool(er) weather here in Middle Tennessee in my pajamas, drinking sweet tea.

Malawi:

WAS INCREDIBLE. No, that's an understatement. But OHMAN, did the Lord move. We saw about 5 people come to Christ, and a few of us got the chance to talk to some of the kids about Christ. I was able to talk to my little friend Sarah about Jesus- it was so encouraging, and so cool!

We got delayed in Nashville. It's really funny when you think about it, getting delayed before you even start the race. But we hung in there, and eventually made it to Dulles, our second stop on our 3 day journey. The president and his wife came out to see us off:

After Dulles, we arrived(after a 7 hour red-eye flight) in London. We didn't get to go out into London this year, due to being delayed in Nashville. But we had fun in the Yotel again...

After the Heaven of the Heathrow airport, we left with heavy, down-trodden hearts. The pits of Hell awaited us, in the form of the Nairobi airport. No air conditioning, LOTS of people, not very much English, and nothing really to do. The airport is about a football field's length long, and I could about stand in the middle of it, and touch the sides. It's pretty narrrow. I start feeling sick just thinking about it. We had a delay here too. Of about 3 hours.

And finally, after another flight of 2 hours and sitting on the tarmac in some strange city in Zambia for 45 minutes, WE MADE IT TO MALAWI!

We retrieved our bags, and came out into the parking lot (that brought back a FLOOD of memories from last year) to find the youth from Capital City Baptist Church (CCBC) waiting for us! They helped us load up our luggage, and we were on our way to Kumbali.

It was so crazy and exciting being back in Malawi. It felt like I was home. As we drove through the country, all my memories from last year came back, and I couldn't help but tear up at the thought of the people that weren't in Malawi this year, from our team last year. But I knew that the Lord still had crazy awesome things in store for us...AND BOY, DID HE EVER!