And so the adventure begins...In less than a month I will be in Nairobi, Kenya ready to begin no doubt the most difficult/amazing, terrifying/exciting, adventure of my life. About six months ago the thought of doing serve abroad Africa was a fleeting thought that I quickly dismissed in view of my life plan which I had so carefully planned out. I felt I just didn't have time to go do something like this if I was going to go to nursing school, graduate get a job, hopefully get into a specialized nursing school, graduate and be able to be a nurse..in Africa. Incidentally as soon as I dismissed the idea, God smacked me in the face with it-I was trying to finish school on my time, so I could go serve God on my time and have my life planned out the way I thought my life should be planned out-and God said, it's not your life to plan. So the current plan is no plan at all as it seems as soon as I try to set one, God says nope that's not what I have planned out. I know without a doubt, my time in Africa will be a pivotal point in life and it's weird to be on the other side of things; knowing that in 6 months I will probably not feel the way I feel right now. Like this is Shaley pre-Africa, and this is Shaley post-Africa, will anyone be able to tell a difference? One would hope. I've titled this blog Remain because Traci brought it up last summer in Peru, the idea of remaining in God, from 1 John 15:5, "I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." I love the idea of remaining in God and with God always, and yet the word "remain" can be used in so many different context. What will remain when the comforts of daily life are gone? What will remain of the pre-Africa Shaley, post-Africa? My daily prayer has been to be emptied by God: so that I may be filled again, to be emptied once more. I am beyond excited to be able to pour my life into a new culture, a new people and a new experience. Please be praying that me and my partner Kristin will remain in God and that God will remain with us, and that once we are emptied, that God will peice back together our remains- to live out the plan He has for us.

My most recent picture: Shaley pre-Africa.