With the start of 2015 I believe it is time to pause and look back at what 2014 held and what I have to look forward to in 2015.
2014 was a very hard year. There is no way around that and it cannot be sugar coated. As much it was hard, it was filled with God's presence.
I started off 2014 with major abdominal pain which led to two ER visits and ultimately my first hernia repair surgery.
At the same time as I was dealing with physical pain I was dealing with emotional pain that this broken world brings.
This was such a low point for me. I was physically ill and couldn't move much and I was broken in spirit. But God didn't leave me. He surrounded me with amazing friends who loved me, cried with me, cared for me. I saw God's hand in the mending of broken relationships and a restoration of health emotionally and physically.
The spring was filled with my final semester, graduation and then before I knew it I was on a plane to Kenya. The first time I had been back in 3 years. It was so exciting to be flying home. I didn't sleep a wink the whole way there because I couldn't wait to smell the air, see the familiar faces and hear the sounds of Kenya.
Our first three weeks in Kenya were constant joy and excitement. I met new people, hugged people I hadn't seen in many years, preached in new places, and spoke a language my tongue remembered well.
That third week brought a surprise that no one could have expected. I was in terrible pain once again. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat and breathing became a hard task.
We made an emergency trip 8 hours into Nairobi where through a series of doctor and surgeon visits, I was told I needed emergency surgery. The first surgery had been so badly messed up that the mesh put in the first time was cutting into my intestines and had created an inch tear in my stomach as well as creating scar tissue.
4 days after my first doctor's visit I was admitted into the hospital and the next day I went into surgery. The surgery was supposed to last an hour and instead lasted nearly 5 hours. They removed a softball size amount of tissue and mesh and repaired the hernia.
After surgery, I sank into depression. I was devastated as I was told I wouldn't be able to travel back out to finish our time out in the bush. I didn't even get to say goodbye to those I loved. I left thinking I would be back and there I was stuck in Nairobi with nothing to do but wrestle with my thoughts and read until I didn't want to read anymore.
God was there though. He brought me a new friend Jen and a dear friend Sarah. Those two girls kept my spirit up through laughs and time of sharing our struggles. They made those three weeks bearable and I looked forward to each time I got to see them.
Our time in Kenya ended and I trekked across the United States to begin a residency with Mountain Christian Church. Since August 2014 I have been working with kids in an after school program along with other community impact projects.
Being so far away from home has not been easy and there have been many times of struggle but God has remained faithful and I have seen him work in my life and the lives of those in our community.
As I look ahead to 2015 I look forward to this being a year of renewal and growth as I continue to follow God's plan for my life!
Love,
Ang
