Little did she know...

So I have now been in South Africa for a week and 4 days, and at Lambano Sanctuary for a week and 2 days  :) The good news: I am sleeping at nights now. The bad news: Sometimes I go to bed before 9:30 pm. ( blink, blink ) When in Rome, neh? (that's my excuse, anyways) Me and L trying to keep warm at the soccer match. I am loving words like, clever, brilliant, boot (for the trunk), robot (for the traffic light), see you now now (which means, see you any time from now til tomorrow), pram, plaster (band-aid), rubbish bin, howzit? (my new favorite lazy greeting), cheers!, neh? (which is basically thrown at the end of any questioning sentence, or commanding sentence, or whatever sentence), this one! (when scolding, tattling, whining, teasing) and the list could go on. It's a fun game to remember and use my new vocabulary.  I am not so much loving walls and gates and locks and alarms and being stuck inside as soon as the sun sets. I am not so much loving speed bumps and in...

Here's a little tour of mi casa.   me and the unsuspecting roommate :) Sarah is a peach! [and stuff] A couple of themes have been running through my head and my heart ever since I was preparing to come to Joburg and I just wanted to share!  First: Colossians 3:12-17 have been my theme verses that I keep going back to. " Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meeknss, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts...

Orientation: usually that word makes me cringe a little. and also fill my heart with a little bit of dread. it usually means an Attitude Adjustment.  So as I spent hours being distracted from packing and saying goodbye to people and somehow miraculously ending up with packed bags, I had a little nagging dread about the 3 days of orientation I was to spend in Charlotte. silly me.   I could not have been more encouraged and challenged and blessed. While most of the topics that we covered were pretty basic,  it was the time with  the staff at SIM  where they shared their hearts and passion and experiences with us that challenged me the most. SIM's motto is "by prayer," and I was able to witness first hand how they lived it out. I ended with a lot of things to think about and evaluate in my life and for the future. It was time well spent. Our (as  me and the other STA, Jenny ) second night at orientation, our splendid coordinators took ...

People? I am not a detail-oriented person. SO. apologies (sort of) for the holes and missed updates. Maybe this will help. Maybe?  Details: prep.  I have had to do things like sign papers and a lot of emailing and waiting and phone calls and immunizations and waiting and writing and pictures and ordering and making lists and buying and waiting waiting waiting.   Packing list: immunization record, international driving permit, passport, yellow book, driver's license.  Details: travel On Monday: depart from beloved Hot Town and go to the Homestead with The Parents and Sister On Tuesday: drive to Denver and fly from DEN to Charlotte, NC.  On Wednesday (through Friday): attend Orientation and meet The People I've been Emailing On Saturday: Who Knows. Conquer Charlotte, maybe.  On Sunday: To Infinity! and beyond! (ok, so actually this is just the day that I will be leaving the States and going to Johannesburg, South Africa)  On Monday: arrive i...

sometimes. I just have to shake my head.  because while I'm here soaking up and trying to experience every last bit of what summer has to offer in the BH,  I am also calling and writing and planning and buying and prepping for... my trip to South Africa!!! what ???  where did summer go?  I keep pinching myself, but it's true . in a month, I'll be packing my bags [again] and heading into The Unknown . Unknown people, Unknown experiences, Unknown culture, Unknown food, Unknown life. and I'm so stoked!!! but also a little bit scared. can I get a holla'? P.S.  check out this link if you want to read more about the South Africa adventure !

I feel like I am in a transition place. waiting. planning. carrying on with "normal" life. anticipating the changes that the future holds. just trying to get laundry done and keep the dishes washed and the bags out of the way of foot traffic. I feel like I have been blessed with so much.   a great support network of friends. awesome church family. job = perfect for me. so many opportunities to satisfy my wanderlust this year. the black hills in my back yard. family who love Christ and love me.  that's why I was a little surprised to find myself searching. to find myself dissatisfied . i wanted more  places to go. more people to spend time with. longer nights. everyone's schedule planned around me. better experiences. more adrenaline thrills. time off work. the responsibilities to take care of themselves. why is it not enough?  because i found myself seeking for attention  or acceptance  or satisfaction anywhere other than fro...

grilling grilling grilling. [also, i think i fell in love with asparagus this year] this is how we be social.  i forgot how much i love walks in the fields at sunset.  #ilovenebraska my littlest of little sibs turned 13! !!! help! i have this thing for daisies.  seriously. give me a brother and a late night and we will have an adventure. CREW kids.... summer CREW is my fav. Yes, we are learning about Jesus on the playground! Don't judge us. or our ice cream.  the benefits of having my job. location location location. tradition: biking adventure with The Don. This year we avoided the herds of bison, which was consequently a little less exciting.  to do: attend the Miss South Dakota Pageant. shoot. it's held in my very own town. like 5 blocks away from my house. and i even got in free. win win.  weekend festivals and parades. it's not about the lameness of the  event...

"And do you like it here in Bahia?" "What is your favorite thing here?" "What do you think about Vitoria Da Conquista? Don't lie!" Well friends, here it is (no lie!): Vitoria Da Conquista is awesome because of you crazy people. I love Bahia because you are there. You are my favorite thing. I wanted to pack you all up and bring you home with me. In fact. I cried when I got on that tiny prop plane at that tiny airport and waved goodbye to the the city below. So yeah. That's saying something :)

Hi. We are going to start leg 1 of the Amazing Wedding Trip to Brasil [that's actually too long of a name]. Tomorrow. at 4:30 am. Stay tuned. Miami will soon be blessed with 4 Johnson siblings for a total of 24 hours. After that, we're taking on the world. Or at least one row of a plane that will take us to the Epic Wedding of one Arnie Johnson. Look out TAM airlines.

When your 60-something y/o coworker greets you with "What's up Justin?" ...it might be time to reevaluate your hair style decisions.

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[I've started this post about three times now, and I realize it's nothing new, but it's been on my mind for a while now. Sorry in advance for how disconnected it seems. You can bear with me or bail out now. The choice is up to you ;) ] It was just yesterday that I was sitting criss cross applesauce in the middle of my living room floor, multitasking. Some like to call it ADD. I prefer "multitasking." Music, social networking, reading a book, something on the TV, ticket shopping... all these distractions from what my mind was mulling over and over. A friend and I were walking the other night, just like old times, after the town had gone to sleep, when the stars were bright and the moon was full. The trees were dripping and the sidewalk was sloppy... it was such a reminiscent time of the past four-ish years of our lives that we have spent in this town. I know that when I think of summer nights, I'm going to think of this time of life. When it's war...