Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

“Life is full of change, honey. That’s how we learn and grow. When we’re born, the Good Lord gives each of us a Life Book. Chapter by chapter, we live and learn...When a chapter of your Life Book is complete, your spirit knows it’s time to turn the page so a new chapter can begin. Even when you’re scared or think you’re not ready, your spirit knows you are.” - Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

For those of you who have not heard about the inner cogs of my time in Namibia, this post may come as a surprise. I have loved blogging about the joys, discoveries, and adventures in Namibia and have grown to deeply appreciate the highs and lows of my time here. But as I alluded to in my early months, life in Namibia certainly hasn’t been easy. I haven’t wanted to use this blog as an outlet to air my grievances, sorrows, and troubles; however, it’s important to me for all of you to hear this from the source.

Much like Mrs. Odell talked about in the quote above from the wonderful new novel “Saving CeeCee Honeycutt,” life sure is full of change. This past year has been a huge testament to that: graduating from university, learning to be far apart from friends and soulmates, moving back to Nashville, diving into my church community, learning to live as an adult, becoming a teacher, moving to Namibia.

I’m not sure when the change stops, but I’m starting to assume it never will. Which is a great thing! Imagine how boring a stagnant life would be. As it turns out, a whole lot more life change is about to begin for me.

The Good Lord has taught me immensely more than I could have imagined in my almost six months in Namibia. Unexpectedly, He has also taught me that Namibia is not about to become my permanent home. In fact, it’s become clear that my role here wasn’t ever meant to last more than these few months. It’s hard to follow the Lord when plans change sooner than expected, but when He’s about to start a new chapter in your Life Book, you’d better muster the courage to follow Him into the next one.

I have made the decision to end my service in Namibia early. It hasn’t been an easy decision but has been months in the making and has been made through extensive prayer, advice, and soul-searching. While a lot of details are still falling into place, my “spirit knows it’s time to turn the page” and venture into the unknown.

I continue to have the utmost support and respect for my organization, WorldTeach. They are a phenomenal international teaching organization and continue to make an indelible difference in Namibia and developing countries around the world. This decision is personal and not a reflection of them as an organization.

As always, feel free to email me if you have questions about my decision or the road ahead. I will continue to share my thoughts about my time in Namibia and am eager to share all of our adventures and photos from our holiday in southern Namibia, so keep checking the blog!