At the very beginning of last year I found out that I was fully funded to begin my role with TWR Europe here in Slovakia. Not long after, I found out my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and would be returning to the U.S. from Brazil for treatment (Note: Praise God that she is now cancer-free!). While it was a difficult time to leave, I was grateful I got to see my parents and siblings before departure.
There were times this year when I felt so close to God that I could almost hear Him speak to me. There were times I doubted that I even trusted in this God I claimed to believe. I experienced the joys of attempting to learn a foreign language (still struggling mightily a year later), the thrill of adventure (four continents, seventeen countries), the disappointment of a failed relationship (absence doesn't always make the heart grow fonder), and everything in between.
I won't go into any more detail than that in this overview, but you're more than welcome to read past blog entries for a more thorough perspective.
FAVORITE ALBUM OF 2012
Paper Route - The Peace of Wild Things
FAVORITE SONG OF 2012
Paper Route - Sugar
FAVORITE TV SHOW OF 2012
Parks and Recreation
FAVORITE ACTIVITY OF 2012
Bungee Jumping in South Africa
AFRICA
As most of you know, I spent the holidays with my sister Abby in South Africa. It was such a good vacation. Abby planned so many fun adventures. It would take a long time to share about everything in detail, so please accept the photos below as a primary substitute.
We visited seven of the nine provinces seeing cities like Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban, East London, and Cape Town. We drove along the Garden Route, hit up numerous beaches, hiked to waterfalls and mountaintops, camped along gorges, and saw stunning scenery time and time again. If you've been there, you know how beautiful it is. If you haven't, pull out the ol' bucket list and place it near the top.
We saw a lot of animals at Kruger National Park, first with a safari guide and then on our own. We stayed in rural South Africa where we experienced life without running water and attended church. Actually, we did more than attend--we preached (and danced).
We had awesome Indian food in Durban (i.e. "bunny chow") and visited uShaka Sea World there.
Wherever we went, South Africans were incredibly hospitable, friendly, and accommodating. I'm glad I had the opportunity to get to know the culture and see the beauty this nation has to offer.
I even had a chance to visit Dubai on my layover coming back to Europe. It has a lot of cool sites, including the world's tallest building, Burj Khalifa.
