I have arrived

well, the eagle has landed! i cannot believe that i am finally in africa.  the lord is so good! its 2 am here and i am wide awake and very hungry.  so naturally, i thought i would blog.  throughout my journey over here i thought of many things i would like to include in this post.  so first let me tell you a little bit about my journey over here.

i started in tulsa and first flew to atlanta.  after making many friends in the airport, being asked if i was a native south african {yes, that really happened} i finally boarded the massive aircraft that was up in the air for 15 hours that safely brought me to johannesburg. {thank you Jesus for safely arriving and everyones prayers}.  i had a window seat next to two men and a baby behind me.....a baby behind me for 15 hours.  i was able to sleep for about three hours until i was so sweetly awakened and had the opportunity to listen to the sweet little girl cry for about three hours.  but, i told myself not to become angry because by the time the plane landed none of that would matter, and i was right.  wow, joburg is incredible! the airport is massive and basically like a mall.  everything you can imagine and more is in this airport.  it was renovated when south africa held the world cup back in 2010.  there were so many native african stores that had very fun and eclectic types of keepsakes.  when i return back to the states, i have a seven hour layover so i am sure that i will be able to do some looking around.  i learned a lot in my hour and a half that i spent in the joburg airport.  

first, you must always keep your luggage claim with you and on you.  i had a minor panic when i couldn't find mine.  thankfully i found it, but the lady was not going to let me go to my next terminal without showing that.  thank you Jesus that i was able to find it.  

second, everyone there is very laid back.  our flight was initially delayed ten minutes, but the proceeded to be delayed for another forty five minutes.  no one was upset or ticked to the slightest degree.  after we were able to go, we first had to ride a bus to our plane.  we were waiting on the bus for about twenty minutes.  i overheard a botswanan woman tell an american {who was also on my long flight and looks like safari joe} many interesting facts about africa.  it was not unusual for the flight to be delayed and definitely not unusual for people to not be upset about it.  they live a very patient lifestyle and when it gets done it gets done.  also, there are power surges almost every night.  the city turns off the electricity of certain blocks every night for one to five hours and everyone gets their turn to lose their power.

thirdly, a "snack" down here is a lot different from snacks that i have ever eaten at home.  on my flight from joburg we were offered a snack.  i opened the box and the only thing that i recognized was the piece of cheese and cracker that went with it.  everything else looked so foreign.  i had no idea what any of it was so i kindly closed my box and waiting until i got to botswana.

fourth, dumela is the greeting that is used in botswana.  it is pronounced du-may-la.  when speaking to a male it is dumela rrah and to a female it is dumela mmah.  fun local fact for the day. also, the capital, gaborone, which is where i am, has not always been the capital.  the capital used to be in south africa strangely enough.

fifth, i am exhausted and hungry and very jet lagged.  the apartment i am staying in is nice and there is one other girl staying her as well.  her name is annette and she has been here for about a year.  she is considered a princeton fellow and will be starting med school back in the states in the fall.  she has been very nice to help me out and i am hoping she can show us around town this weekend.  

i am very glad to be here and starting this journey.  i'm not going to lie, i teared up a bit as we landed in joburg.  i am so thankful for this opportunity and experience.  i have always wanted to come down here and now that i am down here i am so thankful.  the lord is so good to us and we cannot lose sight of his grace.  i saw an allstate commercial before i left.  i tried to find it on youtube to post, but i couldn't find it.  a little girl talks about evil in our world and how our world continues to press on and find good in one another.  it really hit home with me.  find joy in the little things, be thankful, and pray without seizing.  the lord is good and faithful and we have the opportunity to enjoy his beauty.  find good in all and press on. 

it's now 3:30 am so i should probably try to go back to sleep. pictures to come.

natalie

It's {almost} time for Africa!

well it is almost time for me to embark on a brand new adventure.  for those who know me well, i have a passion for traveling and i love being able to see all of Gods creation.  on wednesday i will be leaving my bubble of tulsa, oklahoma and will find a temporary home in gaborone, botswana for the month of june.  gaborone is the capital of botswana, which is located in the southeastern region of botswana. why botswana? well, i will be working for a pediatric AIDS hospital.  let me tell you more about the program i will be serving in.

baylor international pediatric aids initiative {BIPAI} was founded ten years ago by dr. kline of houston.  the original hospital was in romania due to their aids epidemic that spiked at the height of their communism battle.  upon the success of the hospital, the african outreach began. it originally began in gaborone and is currently in over 15 african cities and countries.  the need for help is so intense in africa, dr. kline felt the need to spread all over and create an impact.  the success of this hospital has been remarkable and the lives that have been saved is impressive.  as for myself, i will be assisting in their outreach programs within the gaborone community.  i will assist in raising awareness for children in the community when it comes to preventing AIDS and how they can learn proper sex education and hygiene.  i will also be working with the children specifically in the hospital through their mentoring and tutoring program.  i will have the opportunity to travel to johannesburg, south africa for five days.  while i am there, i will be attending the regional meeting.  representatives from all of the different regions with BIPAI hospitals travel annually to joburg and discuss their programs.  overall, i am looking forward to the opportunity of a lifetime and see how the Lord will transform my heart and mend me and break me.  

my prayer is for salvation among the children that i will be in contact with, safe travels, a healthy trip, and an impact to be made while i am there.  i know that the Lord is preparing me to do something big while i am over there and i am so excited to see the different ways that the Lord will be working through me to expand his kingdom. 

Matthew 28:19 says, 

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."  

as i prepare for my trip, i feel like there is one song that has excited me for my trip:


Waka Waka by Shakira (courtesy of YouTube)

until next time,

natalie 

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there! today is such a special day and a great way to honor our mothers.  like i mentioned in my previous post, my grandmother passed away a little over a month ago.  this mother's day was a little different since she was not able to be with us, but i know that she is looking down over us.  

today i want to honor my mother, jo carol.  she is my best friend and is a supermom.  i know i can always count on her for anything.  she's beyond supportive and always has something fun to do.  in honor of mother's day today, my family went to church, had a nice brunch at the country club followed by family golfing (quite entertaining), and a nice walk on riverside.  it has been very relaxing and a perfect way to hang out with my mom.  

hope everyone has enjoyed being with their moms today!

natalie

2013

well, i have finally caved and started a blog.  i am new to this whole thing and still trying to figure it out.  i've had a crazy year thus far: learned a lot, cried a lot, traveled a lot, laughed a lot.  over the past two weeks i have had a heavy heart and a mind that has not stopped spinning.

to start off i guess i should tell everyone a little bit about me.  i'm a college student pursuing a marketing degree and just finished my sophomore year.  i cannot believe i am already half way done with college.  i am originally from tulsa, ok but live in a the beautiful big white house on chautauqua ave in norman, ok.  i decided to start blogging because i've been stagnant in my journalling life.  i haven't been able to get myself to journal in quite sometime.  i think it's mostly due to everything that has happened with my family (will explain later) that leads me to questions, and i feel like i am not quite ready to ask them yet to my sweet jesus.  

2013. what a year it has been.  to start off, i have been to chicago, decatur, dallas, tulsa, norman, lafayette, new york city, hanover, bahamas all since the new year.  i love traveling and have enjoyed every second of it.  although that seems like a lot to do in just a short five months, i have also experienced the death of my grandmother and grandfather, and a break up that i never saw coming.  oh, i forgot, i had to take seven final exams on top of it all and ran a half marathon. my life is a whirlwind and i don't know how to settle it down.  

last night as i was driving back from brittany's house i could not contain my tears.  tears of doubt, question, misunderstanding.  she lives far away from me so i was able to do a lot of thinking before i got home.  in this phase of my life, in 2013 i have been seeking temporary things.  my life has been all about the now and short future instead of the eternal glory of our father.  i have been trying to hard to fix a relationship instead of letting the lord mend it for us, and that relationship does not exist.  investing time into someone is draining, especially when they live 26 hours away from you.  i've learned a lot through my years that i spent with him, but most importantly, i've learned that that love is only temporary and the love jesus has for us is eternal and we are his brides.  now with that being said, of course i want to find love again.  it was the greatest aspect of my life.  it's fun to be in love and know someone loves you.  knowing that jesus has had that love for us since the day he died on the cross, no matter where you are in your walk with the lord, he still loves you unconditionally.  

the death of my grandparents took an emotional punch to my family.  it had been somewhat expected for both, but it is never easy to face the reality of death.  i have to rest assured that they are both hanging with our savior and so free from pain.  although it has been a hard time for my family, the way my parents have held strong through it all is remarkable.  each having to experience the death of one of their parents within two weeks of one another and still be able to face the day is incredible.  death is an earthly encounter that we all must go through in order to get to eternal life.  our life here is short and sweet, but walk each day as it is your last.

i had no idea what this first blog would say.  i guess these are all things that have been on my heart lately.  i leave for africa in three weeks so i thought it would be good to start a blog so i can blog about my experience.  i'll tell you more about my trip next time.

natalie