In Retrospect...

2009, yeah I don't think this year will stick out as an overwhelmingly awesome year, in fact, I'd say it was one of the more difficult ones I've had. BUT it wasn't horrible, and there were definitely some great memories.

So here's some of the good and the bad. This year...

I got published for the first time (and hopefully not the last)!
I went to Hawaii and had a great week with one of my best friends!

I went to lots of live shows and saw a bunch of awesome bands.

I road tripped all over the place, seeing my friends in Texas, Birmingham, Tennessee, and Atlanta.



I tried a new job at camp, and even though it's not something I want to do again (haha) I was glad for the experience. It was my 5th summer working Fuge!



I forgave someone that I wasn't sure I'd be able to forgive.
I sang in 2 weddings... and was only a little bit scared.

I sang pop music at the top of my lungs with an incredible friend who loves it as much as I do.

I fell in love with 153 orphans, and cant wait to go back to them.
I went to Africa.
I cried happy tears with a friend.
I led 3 different teenagers to Christ... to God be the glory!
I got a new non-niece niece... and cried happy tears about that too.

I saw Britney in concert!
I introduced my friends to "the game of things" and many nights have been spent laughing!
I rode in an ambulance for the first time.
I climbed a volcanic crater while dancing to Miley Cyrus "Party in the USA"



I cried when Adam Lambert lost American Idol.
I got to have a Fuge reunion at Winter Fuge after one of the more difficult weeks of the year. God's timing is perfect!



I danced in the middle of a football field, under the stadium lights, with some of my favorite friends.

I rode on a tiny airplane, and flew across the Nile river.
I celebrated Christmas in July and got embarrassed by the PJs my parents sent me.


I cried when MJ died.
I sang the bubble song about a million times with my favorite 2 year old.

I continued in my quest to lose weight and am at 100lbs total lost! woohoo.
I danced with my friends.
I did a lot more creative writing in all my spare time.
I met new people, made new friends that have changed my life.
I laughed so hard I cried... and then laughed some more.

Goodbye 2009... here's hoping that 2010 is even better!

Sudan Post 4

On the plane ride home, and my heart is just full of emotions! I'm so sad to be leaving, after such an incredible experience.

Wednesday, we finished all of our projects (PRAISE THE LORD!) and then spent the afternoon with the kids. It was bitter sweet for sure. Things were a little stressful toward the end of our super long work day, as we really wanted to finish the projects we'd started (the building, and the 2 drop ceilings in the library and teachers' dorms), but it was increasingly more difficult as more and more kids kept invading our work space. As much as we wanted to hangout with them, we didn't want to chop their fingers off with power tools. :)

Thursday morning, we all woke up early to go to the kids' morning devotion time, and I got teary eyed knowing that I might not ever hear those sweet voices ever again. Then came the time we'd all been dreading, saying goodbye. The kids have been giving us letters over the last few days, letters that tell us how much they love us and how much they'll miss us. I must have at least 50 letters. And one of the older girls stitched a beautiful embroidered handkerchief for me. I tried not to cry, as I didnt want to upset the kids. Some of them have had too many hard goodbyes in their lives.... I didnt want this one to be dramatic. I found the kids that were in my crew, the ones I'd spent the most time with and gave them all hugs and told them "Ana hebu ita" which means "I love you" and "Yeshua hebu ita" which means "Jesus loves you" and said goodbye.

One of the girls, Sarah Lilly was a favorite of all of ours and I realized none of us had seen her at all that morning... so right before I loaded up into the waiting van, I went into their eating area and found her at her assigned seat..and found her sitting quietly at her table. Sarah Lilly is anything but quiet! I put my arm around her and asked her why she didnt come say goodbye to us. My heart just about broke, when this little girl who is always wearing the biggest smile, had tears in her eyes. She looked at me and said, "I love you all and if I say goodbye I will cry!"

In 10 days with these kids, they'd allowed us into their lives. They loved us and showed us more love than we could have ever hoped for. It was so hard to drive away... but I'm so grateful the Lord allowed me this opportunity. I learned so much about loving others, patience, His love and sovereignty, and myself on this trip. I hope I'll get to go back soon.

Sudan Post 3

Time really seems to be flying by here at Harvesters and every day is just as good, if not better than the last. On Sunday we went to church here on the compound, walking in the sanctuary toward the end of children's church. As we sat quietly, and watched the children sing their last song, I couldn't help but smile. The same dirt smudged faces I've been playing with this past week, were now clean and dressed in their Sunday's best. It was a sight to see! Once a majority of the kids left, the weekly church service began. What a party that was! The worship band at Harvesters could stand up to any worship team back in the states! These kids had so many instruments up there, and they were good too! It was so much fun!

Then after a time of worship, Pastor John took to the pulpit to remind the congregation of the great spiritual battle taking place around them and the dangers of allowing their culture, with its pagan practices to infiltrate the Christian Church. His sermon was yet another reminder of just how different the Church here in Sudan is, in comparison to the often sleeping Church of the US. Satan has allowed us to give ourselves over to materialism, whereas there are Christians here in Yei who are fighting against those following a witch doctor known for raising people from the dead... both mindsets are dangerous, just vastly different.

Our team also had the opportunity to go into Yei to the market place. Many of us were hoping to find some craft type things to take back to our families, but most left empty handed. The market, found in a series of dark alleys and crammed under tents, wasn't much to see. Crowded and dirty, the Yei market was filled with flip flops, dust covered t-shirts, and all kinds of Obama memorabilia. Thanks but I think I'll pass on the Obama blue jeans. Randomly, in the middle of one of the long alleys, there was a guy in a DJ booth playing music, and so we had a nice dance party to some Biggie.....haha not the best lyrics to hear with your mission team... but the locals enjoyed Stacy and me enjoying the music. :)

During the evenings, after the kids have gone to bed or to their dorms, we as a team hangout in the kitchen talking and playing this psycho version of UNO. I usually take advantage of our time with the generator to take a hot shower, but the smelly kids really seem to get into this crazy game. It's funny to watch their tournament, and it's fun to see our team laughing and having such a good time. For the most part, we all get along well, which has been a huge blessing. One night the younger 1/2 of the team and good ole Steve stayed up late playing 21, which is one of my favorite games of questions and getting to know one another. We were having so much fun laughing and talking, we stayed in the kitchen long after the generator cut our power, forcing us to play by lantern light. We've had a lot of great conversations on this trip, conversations that have stretched my perspective on things and encouraged me in my Walk.

It's Tuesday night, and we're leaving Thursday morning. Mary and I have been talking about wanting to come back, and soon. We even talked to Mama Lilly about it. As we sat at Lilly and Dennis' kitchen table a few days ago, Lilly told us different things she could find for us to do, and Mary and I both started to think that this might actually happen. We don't know when, or for how long, but we're hoping for a year, and we're hoping to make it happen after the summer. Mary and I both have big hopes and ideas for how we could spend a year in Sudan with these kids.... it's incredibly exciting to think about. Obviously it's still in the early phases, but how amazing would that experience be, and to do it with one of my best friends, it's almost too good to be true! We'll see where the Lord leads us as we seek His guidance for future steps.

So, 1 more full day here.... oh my heart gets heavy just thinking about it. I've experienced this before... having a life changing experience, only to return to a world that's still the same. It's weird and its hard, and it makes the experience you've just had seem less and less real as the days go on. I don't want to lose what I've experienced here, and I don't want to lose the things I've learned... honestly, I wish I could just stay here. :) Thursday morning is going to be so sad.

Sudan Post 2

Every morning around 6:00 someone bangs on a big bell, or pot to wake everyone on the compound. I don't know who it is, or what it is exactly, but let me tell you, it does the trick! Stacy (who I'm sharing a room with) and I groan at the darkness outside, wondering what time it could possibly be, and wonder if we might be able to sleep just a little longer before breakfast at 7. So as I continue to go in and out of sleepy consciousness, around 6:30, I can't help but smile... it's my favorite time of the day here at Harvesters. As Stacy and I are still struggling to get out of bed, we hear the sweet sound of the children's morning worship and devotion time. What a beautiful sound, 150 orphans singing about their love for their Father, gratefulness to Jesus, and proclamation of His promises! As the sound flows across the compound, and I picture the faces of these kids, I can't help but be grateful He's brought me here.

We're done now with our 3 day conference with local pastors, and it seems like things went well. So much so, they asked if we could extend the conference one extra day. Unfortunately, many of the pastors couldn't be away from their congregations another day, so we just added extra sessions to yesterday's schedule. Yesterday was a special day, as it was Thanksgiving... and my 27th birthday. Stacy and I (mostly Stacy!) prepared a Thanksgiving feast for the team and some of the Harvesters staff, that was a good respite in the middle of all the activities we had going on around the compound. It was nice to take a moment to stop and think about all the things we have to be thankful for!

After lunch, we headed back to our respective places, the pastors conference, the teacher's training, or the construction on the classroom and resumed the ministry God had called us to Harvesters to do. Thursday was the day that my lessons on the Sermon on the Mount were being taught, and it was fun to sit in and watch Andy teach it to the pastors, and breathe a sigh of relief that it was going ok and see that the stuff I'd prepared actually made some sense. (although it helped that Andy added some stuff to spice it up a little) I could have taught the lesson myself, but I was too chicken and thought my nervousness would distract from the message I hoped to take from one of Jesus' greatest discourses... so woohoo for Andy so graciously and willingly stepping in. I like the behind the scenes fun of writing.... maybe someday I'll conquer that fear of talking in front of people, other than teenagers!

Our group of pastors for the pastors training

Today (Friday) was our first day on the construction site, together as a group. People had been floating in and out, but today we were all finally there. Thankfully, the progress on the building is going really really well, so Buck (the bossman) was able to ask Dennis for some other projects. I was put on the Library team, where we were installing a drop ceiling. Oh man what I wouldn't give for a nail gun! Here we are standing on ladders and ghetto saw horses trying to nail plywood into the ceiling, as close to the previous piece as possible. We're working with wood that's not all the same size, ceiling beams that are at different heights and placements.... every nail hammered, we're reminded that we're in Africa and things are a little bit different here! We're even nailing into mahogany, which is a super hard wood.. it takes talented Molly FOREVER to nail even one nail into that wood. Hmmm... I'm feeling like construction is NOT my strongest gift on this trip.

Mary, oh so hardcore!

Today was also an exciting day on the compound, as it's the day chosen for our feast! The church body at Mount Ararat raised money to give to Harvesters, and one of the things the money went toward was to buying a bull to feed the kids for a few meals. This morning, after we'd been on the job for only a little bit, we heard tons of commotion in the yard. The kids had formed a giant mob/wall, and were pointing and cheering and waving wildly! What on earth?! As I got closer I asked one of the more outgoing kids, Miriam (probably around 7 years old) what was going on, to which she excitedly replied, "It's a cow, and I'm going to eat him!" I looked to where she was pointing, and there stood the skinniest, longhorn cow I'd ever seen... and thought that all my Aggie friends would love this moment! This little guy was going to feed all these people?! As I pondered that possibility, it suddenly hit me.. here before me was a living, unaware animal, and before it could be eaten, it would need to be, uh, not alive anymore. GROSS! I watched the guys walk the cow across the compound, with a giant group of children following, cheering, knowing exactly what was about to happen. I stumbled across a group of kids making fun of a crying little girl and I stopped to ask her what was wrong, to which, with tears in her eyes, she told me she didn't want them to kill the cow. I think I found a future veterinarian among the group... and my new friend for this crazy moment. We stood back, while the kids rushed forward and tried their best to catch a glimpse of the cow who was now hidden behind another building.

Let's just say, the next time I saw the cow, was in my lunch this afternoon. Some of the guys in our group got a video of the whole thing, and let me just say, PETA would not be happy!
I tried not to think about it.
I can't lie, it tasted pretty good.
AND somehow, that skinny cow fed us all for lunch and dinner and there's more for tomorrow too!

We ate lunch with the kids today and then took the afternoon off to play and celebrate our day of the feast. After we gave the kids bracelets made during Mt. Ararat's VBS week, we spent hours laughing, singing, and... dancing. Those kids LOVE to dance. Andy taught them how to C-Walk, and I showed them how to do the cabbage patch and how to brush their shoulders off. It was so much fun! The sound of their laughter and those big gorgeous smiles were so worth making an idiot out of myself!

There are a couple little girls here that have just captured my heart. Mary, a 9 year old, loves borrowing my camera to take pictures. She's quiet, but always finds me in the crowd. She quietly braids my hair and sits next to me, holding my arm. Then there's Esther who found me on my very first day here at the compound. She's got the biggest smile and cutest laugh. She's probably around 5, and today we were talking and laughing, and she told me she loved me. I've only been here a few days, but gosh I wish I could take these girls home. Then there's Hannah. Hannah Banana I call her. She cant be more than 2 and she is ADORABLE. Today, I went out back during the little kids bath time. There were naked babies everywhere! Then I heard cute little Hannah's laugh, as she covered her face, and chubby cheeks with her hands, trying to hide, only to start running toward me (naked baby!), flinging herself into my arms, laughing the entire time. She gave me the biggest hug. It was precious!

I don't know these girls' stories, or what tragedy might have brought them to this little oasis in the middle of nowhere... but when I look at them I'm reminded of the compassion of the Father and how His grace takes us all on different journeys in our lives... and as I think about their journeys thus far, I trust in His sovereignty and know that He's got something big in store for each one of these precious souls. That sovereign will is the only thing that's going to get me on a plane next week, to leave this place... knowing that even in South Sudan, God still reigns supreme over all. Even here, He is in control and has an abounding, overwhelming love for His children.

Mary, rockin my safety glasses

Esther cheesin it for the camera

Cute little Hannah Banana rockin the batman t-shirt!

Sudan Post 1

Hey everyone! I'm back from Sudan, and I have to admit that I've kind of been avoiding updating my blog. It's kind of been a little bit of culture shock as I process the trip. I'm not entirely sure how exactly to put into words the things that I experienced and saw while I was in Africa. I will say that my 2 weeks overseas were life changing and eye opening, and I can't wait to to go back!

I decided that the best way to share my trip with you guys would be journal style over the course of a couple days. That way I don't bombard you with a super long post (although you guys know even my most random posts can be on the lengthy side) and pictures. So even though I'm home, safe and sound, I'm going to post excerpts from my journal as I wrote them while I was there.

Post 1:

It's hard to believe that I'm really here, in Africa! What a whirlwind last few days its been! We arrived at Harvesters yesterday, and I am overcome with emotion as I write, just thinking about these beautiful children. I guess I'm getting ahead of myself though, as its been quite the process to get to this little place on the planet... We left Virginia on Saturday evening. Andy, the only non-Virginian on the trip, met us at Dulles and it was nice to finally have our entire team together for the first time. As we flew across the Atlantic ocean on our way to our first stop in Amsterdam, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace and calm completely wash over me. I hate flying, but I could feel His presence covering me, as I tried best I could to prepare my heart for this journey ahead. There were so many things that were uncertain, so many questions I didn't know the answers to. I had no idea what to expect, as I've never been to Africa before... but instead of worry or fear, I felt excitement and peace, which contradicts my normal "must be in control" attitude. Praise God for that!



After a quick stop in Amsterdam (after our 8 hour flight), we boarded another plane headed for Nairobi, Kenya. The trip took another 8 hours, and proved to be a little bit more difficult than the trip to Amsterdam, where most of us slept a good portion of the way. When we arrived in Nairobi and made our way through customs, and down to the luggage carousel, it really began to hit me. An airport isn't the most exciting place on the planet, but already I began to see differences. Walking out to find our waiting vans, it was like walking the red carpet at an event. There were so many people there shouting, and waiting behind a small gate. Thankfully we didn't have to choose from one of the overly eager waiting Taxi drivers, as the guest house we were staying in, Mayfield had already arranged transportation for us. Tired, we hopped onto vans and made our way through Nairobi to the guest house that serves missionaries from around the world who make stops in Kenya.

Praise the Lord for seatbelts! Driving in Kenya was scary as all get out!

At Mayfield we got to check our email and let family and friends know we were safe, and then hopped into our wonderful beds. Oh glorious sleep seemed wonderful after 24 hours of travel... especially knowing that tomorrow we'd be traveling even more! Oh how I was dreading those plane rides, as we were anticipating our next 2 flights to be on significantly smaller planes. One of the planes was so small that we were restricted to how much weight we could carry in luggage. 30.5 pounds for 2 weeks. I sure hope no one overpacked! I tried to push those anxious thoughts from my mind, and to cling to the Peace that had washed over me on the first plane ride. Regardless of how scary the flight experiences might be the next day, I knew it would be worth it once we arrived in Yei, Sudan.

Early the next morning we departed Mayfield for a smaller airfield, and began the process of checking in. Our itinerary would be an hour and a half plane ride to Loki, Kenya where we would go through customs to get our exit stamp in our passports, and then transfer to a missionary airline that would take us the rest of the way to Yei. Our first plane held about 20 people, and wasnt as small as I thought... and surprisingly the flight was smooth and the landing in Loki wasn't bad at all. Flying over Kenya was beautiful, and my team was so encouraging to those of us who were afraid of flying on such a small plane. There really wasn't much to the Loki airport, and we were all eager to meet up with our missionary pilot to complete the last leg of our flight.



Once we finished all the necessary exit paperwork for Kenya, we made our way to a much smaller plane... a plane that could only hold 14 people! Holy moly.... don't cry Molly! No worries though, I held it together. We flew across Uganda, the Nile River, and into Sudan in a little over an hour and had a smooth landing on a dirt runway and a one room building that served as the Yei airport, and were met by Dennis Klepp who started Harvesters with his wife Lilly. Finally, we were there, and Harvesters was the next stop on this exciting journey. It was hard to contain our excitement as we crammed into a landrover and made our way to the compound.

As we drove through dust and giant potholes, our eyes were glued out the windows at the scenes we were passing. Women carrying jugs and baskets on their heads, children playing out in front of their huts, uncaring that they had forgotten to put on clothes that day :) , people waving and laughing. Many people we passed called out, "Cuaja" which we quickly found out didn't mean "Hello!" but meant "white people", making us laugh. Sudan and its people are beautiful, and it felt incredible to be there after months of preparation.

When we pulled up to Harvesters, a lump formed in my throat and tears filled my eyes. There in the yard was Mama Lilly, surrounded by 40-50 little preschoolers (as the older children were still in school), who immediately began running toward us, cheering, waving, yelling "hello", and reaching their little hands in through the windows. Before my feet even hit the ground, I had a little boy or girl on each finger, pulling me towards them. What an incredible welcome! Without really knowing anything about them, I already began to wonder how anyone could discard these beautiful little pieces of God's creation.

After our first dinner at the compoud (which thankfully consisted of not just rice and beans, but fresh bread, fresh fruit, and spaghetti), we made our way out into the yard where we were greeted by a wonderful welcome ceremony. All of the children gathered to sing, welcoming us with flowers and handshakes. It was another emotional moment... they all seemed so genuinely excited to have us there! It was a beautiful moment for sure.





Why did He choose me to be the receiver of so much love? Why did He pick me to be an ambassador for this place, to take a message of needs back to my church at home? I'm not entirely sure, but I do anticipate things to be revealed to me over these next 10 days. Today, we're starting our projects... Andy, Kate, Phil, Bill and I will meet with local pastors to start a 3 day pastoral conference, while Nick, Todd V, and Steve will try to provide some tools and resources to the teachers at Harvesters' school, and Buck, Todd P, Stacy, and Mary will get working on the classroom we're building while we're here. There's so much to do, and I really don't know how it's all going to get done... especially with 153 little distractions running around everywhere. God is good, and if the last few days are any indication to how the rest of the trip will go, I really can't wait to see what the Lord does and shows us while we're here.