Looking Back (on 2009)

Dear Friends,

As I look back on the year 2009 there are many words I could use to describe the past year of my life; some that come to mind are: incredible, awesome, interesting, amazing, challenging, trying, memorable, but I think if I had to describe the year in just one word it would be unbelievable.

From the very beginning it is unbelievable to me that I would get on a plane by myself and fly across the world to a country I had never been to, not knowing what I would do or who I would meet, or even how to speak the language. I suppose it is just as unbelievable that my arrival went so smoothy. I was met by a group of wonderful people that over the course of the year have become like family. I was given a comfortable house to live in and a job that I know God had prepared specifically for me.

A couple months later it is even more unbelievable to me how much I have grown to love the life I have built here. In January I wasn’t sure if I would be able to make it to the end of the year. Now I have extended my time another six months and it hurts to think about the day I will leave Congo for good. In the beginning it was just this place where I will be staying for the year, but now it is really like I have a life there.

It is also unbelievable to me how much I have changed over the year. Of course I knew I would change, I mean how could I live in Africa for a year and not come back a different person than I left. But what I didn’t know was how much I would change or in what ways. First there are the easy things to notice. I speak French now and I am even making some progress learning Lari (one of the local languages). I have lost a lot of weight. I am not sure how much but my clothes are all quite big on me. I have grown spiritually, my faith seems so much stronger. God has brought me through so many situations this year and it seems like He is always reminding me not to worry He will make it work even if it is not how I expected it to work. But I think the biggest change is probably the way I see things. For the past year I have lived with no TV, no washer and dryer, and sporadic electricity and running water. I have worked at a school where the students have next to nothing to work with. And my church was just one building, and actually for several months we didn’t even hold the worship services in the building because it was under construction. All of this can really change your perspective a bit. But in the end I think its just another reminder that its not the things in life that matter but the people and the relationships.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Thank you once again for your prayers and support throughout the year, I am confident that you helped me make it through the year.

Tracy Pilewski