Few Days Away

I'm in Africa. It would be a shame to go home without seeing some of the sites. With all that's been going on I knew I needed to get away. And I picked the perfect place for me to rest and renew --- Durban. (From left to right) Faith, Nomty, Becca and I left Saturday morning and got home Tuesday night. My only regret is I should have planned a longer stay. Sunday it rained but we went to the mall to get things not easily found in Swaziland (like a down comforter for early birthday present --it is winter here if I haven't mentioned it before and no central heat). Saturday afternoon, Monday and Tuesday morning the weather was fabulous although cool but nice (it's winter here). Here is the view from our room.Durban is on the eastern coast of South Africa. It is about a 6 hour drive (7 if it takes time to get through the border crossing) from Swaziland. It is on the Indian Ocean! Nomty who was born in Swaziland overcame her fear of the ocean during our stay. Becca who is a missionary with AIM (Adventures In Missions) has been in Africa for 2 1/2 years and had stayed at the place we rented last year. Faith is here from Georgia for about 3 months helping Becca. We introduced Nomty to McDonalds while we were at the mall and she got a mega Big Mac meal (but in Africa there are no free refills -- I really miss that about the states). Less words more pictures. More words, less pictures?

The beach is the most relaxing place I could hope to be. I love collecting seashells! Ican spend hours at a time looking at the intricate details. During my quiet time walking on the beach and collecting shells I could feel my heart beat return to normal (so I guess stress does aggravate it). The Lord and I shared in the beauty of the little shells. The ones that made it through the rough surf unbroken and the ones that were smooth a calming to touch after all the rough edges had been worn away by the surf. He then spoke to me and pointed out that even though the little things are important, when I'm concentrating on the looking at the shells I miss the magnificient beauty of the ocean. "Look up and enjoy the bigger picture and the gorgeous view!" Whoa! So true! Someone could walk right up behind me and I would never see them coming. And the ocean itself is so beautiful and calming.

I feel God is working and molding me and helping me find a better balance. My job is made up of so much of the little stuff but He is teaching me to look at the His whole plan and not get bogged down in so many of those little details. I don't know if that makes sense. I just know I'm a work in progress. Hope you enjoyed the pictures as much as I enjoyed being there for just those couple of days.