Meet me at the Gliderport

After my last

final today, I went to the gliderport. It's this cliff area above blacks beach that hang glide

rs and paragliders jump of from. Sitting there, I could take in the grand expanse of the ocean.

It seemed endless and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't see where the ocean ended and the sky began. It's overwhelming, God's power. I love this port because it's a nice place to just get away, to think, to not think, to rest, to listen, to pray, to cry, to breathe. It's the place where I can talk to God without distraction.

These past few months have been quite spiritually challenging for me. I really feel as if God is truly shaping and preparing my heart for Africa. Ever since I became involved with The Rescue, a worldwide event put on by Invisible Children (invisiblechildren.com), I started feeling a constant yearning and hunger to pursue God. And it was from then, did

my spiritual journey truly take pace.

Every week, day,and sometimes even hour was, and still may be, a struggle for me as God has brought up so many painful memories from my past. All the hurt and suffering that I never properly recuperated from suddenly reappeared in my life once again. At first, I found myself blaming God. Asking him why I had to relive it all a

gain. I felt like I was pounding at his chest and asking "why me?". But the harder I pounded, the tighter He held me.

I was at the gliderport when I realized that I still have so much healing to do. Sometimes I find myself physically, emotionally, spiritually drained. But, God picks me up every time I stumble and fall. He has revealed His perfect love for me through my friends, my community. Every time I felt like drawing away from that community, He finds someway, someone, to pull me back. And though it may not seem so, the timing is just perfect. This is something I needed to sort through before I leave. I want to be able to give all of my heart to God by sharing His love with Malawi. And to do so, I need to first be filled with His perfect love. Because perfect love drives out fear (and there was definitely much fear and hurt in my heart), it makes sense that I'm dealing with all of this right now. Emptying out the bad, and pouring in the good. And though it may be painful at times, it hurts so good because of God. I can see my past as something beautiful; something I can grow from. I can see God in my pain, working through my pain, healing me from my pain, and bringing me closer to Him because of my pain.

That's why I love the gliderport. It's where I jump off and glide into His arms. It's the place where we meet.

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then I am strong."

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Love, Love, Love,

Angela