Temporarily Lost.

After the events of my last blog post, I was feeling very confident about this whole trip to Uganda in May (I can almost say "next month"!). It was truly a miracle and I am so grateful for it.

However, since then, there have been quite a few events that really discouraged me at first.

I found out that my vaccinations are going to cost an arm and a leg (or two).
I was denied a passport again today because I don't have the correct birth certificate (curse you, Riverside County, for giving out birth abstracts!)
Because my birth abstract is not sufficient, I have to pay for an actual certificate to be processed and mailed to me.
Because I have to get an actual certificate, my passport application will be pushed back approximately another 2 weeks (so 4 weeks total from the first time I tried to apply).
Because I can't apply again for 2 weeks, I have to pay to have my passport expedited AND overnighted.

All of this discouraging and frustrating information has been piled on in past 2 days. One thing after the other, it felt like this trip was slowly becoming impossible. What had happened to the optimism and courage that I had felt only two days prior?

After walking out of the passport office today, denied once again, I was feeling pretty down. Lots of tears were shed. Thankfully I have some awesome, supportive parents who talked me out of my discouragement and offered words of comfort, support, and advice. Truly, I am so blessed and grateful that they lovingly and enthusiastically support my crazy dreams. After talking with them, the future of this trip seemed a little brighter.

Well, tonight I watched a documentary on the Lost Boys of Sudan. A handful of young men, who had spent the majority of their childhood as starving, homeless soldiers, were given the opportunity to come to America for work. With the help of the US Government, religious organizations, and other groups, they were provided with airfare, temporary housing, and food so that they could begin their new lives. This initial boost was essential to their success here; without the support of others, they could not have come and experienced the success that they have. Listening to their stories was so inspiring, and I hope I never again complain of the silly little issues like those at the top of this page.

From sun up to way past sun down, they worked every job imaginable. Burger flippers, factory workers, produce stockers. . . often times working multiple jobs while obtaining an education. Their work ethic was incredible, and most of the money they made went straight to their families and Lost Brothers back in Eastern Africa.

To hear them speak of the cultural difference between their homeland and the US was incredible. At Christmas time, they asked, "Where are Santa and the trees in the bible? In Sudan we celebrate spiritually." To watch them learn what a lamp is, a fridge, a trashcan, a shower. . . to see them first experience ice skating, or a supermarket, and other things that we so often take for granted, was incredible. Watching and hearing them reminded me how easy I really have it, even when I think life is difficult.

So, when life doesn't go as smoothly as I'd like, or as swift as I'd planned, I want to remember these Lost Boys. I want to remember these children soldiers, who escaped brutality and came to a new land, alone and uncertain. They came unsure, yet were able to make a new life for them and their families out of sheer determination and faith, despite the totally insurmountable challenges of their earlier lives. They reminded me that a healthy dose of perspective sure helps ease the stings of life.

I'm kind of glad this whole process isn't going as I'd planned, because otherwise this lesson wouldn't have resonated as deeply. I'm kind of glad that life is "tough" sometimes, because it helps me be more humble and to understand others more deeply. And, once I do accomplish this goal, it'll be all the sweeter because there were discouraging challenges along the way that I had to overcome.

When life gets you down, don't give up. Keep pushing forward. It'll all work out, sometimes you just need a whole lot of faith and persistence and optimism, and the support of those who love you. It'll work out, somehow, because . . .

All things are possible to them that believeth.