This will be the last blog
that I post during my time in Africa.  It's hard to believe that our time here is
up.  I'm both sad to leave and eager to
get home: it's a weird mix of emotions. 
Processing, as you have seen in a few of my blogs from this week, is
going to be a long, difficult process. 
All I can say is that God is faithful, and I am grateful for His
provision.  I know He will continue
teaching me about this time and the things I've seen here for a very long time.

One prayer request as we're
finishing our time with packing and a party tomorrow before we head out for
Jinga on Sunday and the airport on Monday: 9 of the 11 of us currently have
malaria.  That's right, I decided to
complete the gauntlet of tropical African diseases with malaria in my last
three days here.  I don't feel too bad,
but there are several of my teammates who are not feeling well.  I am just praying that everyone is feeling
better before we get on a plane for 48 straight hours of travel.

I will continue to post a
few blogs about the trip and my thoughts in retrospect once I return, so if you
would like to still receive those, please keep your eyes open.  I will also be creating slide-shows for each
of the four places I've lived (Mexico,
Busia, Mbita, and Tororo) that I will post as blogs once I get home, complete
them, and have good internet access.

I would also like to note
that I don't feel that my blogs, upon review, give a full or accurate picture
of all of my time here in Africa.  Though I would apologize for that, I'm not
sure that a blog would every be able to accomplish such a purpose fully.  I am glad however, that you have been able to
see some sort of picture from my perspective of this time.  For those of you who I will see when I get
home, I look forward to filling in the gaps when I return.  I will also be having a celebration time
sometime within the first month of my return. 
I'll have slide-shows, African food, copies of all of my blogs, and I
will share about my time.  I'll post the
details here when I know more.  I hope
all of you can come.

I would like to end by
sharing the lyrics to two songs.  Cheesy
though it may be, they both come from the "Chronicles of Narnia: Prince
Caspian" soundtrack.  They have been
powerful the past few days in helping me think about this time and almost
prophetic, or at least very applicable to the circumstances of returning home
from a trip like this.

"The Call" by Regina Spektor:

It started out as a feeling

Which then grew into a hope

Which then turned into a quiet thought

Which then turned into a quiet word

And then that word grew louder and louder

'Til it was a battle cry

I'll come back

When you call me

No need to say goodbye

Just because everything's changing

Doesn't mean it's never

Been this way before

All you can do is try to know

Who your friends are

As you head off to the war

Pick a star on the dark horizon

And follow the light

You'll come back

When it's over

No need to say good bye

You'll come back

When it's over

No need to say good bye

Now we're back to the beginning

It's just a feeling and no one knows yet

But just because they can't feel it too 

Doesn't mean that you have to forget

Let your memories grow stronger and stronger

'Til they're before your eyes

You'll come back

When they call you

No need to say good bye

You'll come back

When they call you

No need to say good bye

"This is Home" by
Switchfoot:

I've got my memories

Always; Inside
of me

But I can't go back

Back to how it was

I believe you now

I've come too far

No I can't go back

Back to how it was

Created for a place

I've never known

This is home

Now I'm finally

Where I belong

Where I belong

Yeah, this is home

I've been searching

For a place of my own

Now I've found it

Maybe this is home

Yeah, this is home

Belief over misery

I've seen the enemy

And I won't go back

Back to how it was

And I got my heart

Set on

What happens next

I got my eyes wide

It's not over yet

We are miracles

And we're not alone

This is home

Now I'm finally

Where I belong

Where I belong

Yeah, this is home

I've been searching

For a place of my own

Now I've found it

Maybe this is home

Yeah, this is home

And now after all

My searching

After all my questions

I'm gonna call it home

I got a brand new mindset

I can finally see

The sunset

I'm gonna call it home

This is home

Now I'm finally

Where I belong

Where I belong

Yeah, this is home

I've been searching

For a place of my own

Now I've found it

Maybe this is home

Yeah, this is home

Now I know

Yeah, this is home

I've come too far

And I won't go back

Yeah, this is home