I've been making South Sudan my home for two months already!  Without a doubt, the most gratifying part of being here for two months is the relationships that each day become a little deeper and more meaningful.  From across the compound I hear, what feels like one hundred times each day, the children calling out, "How are you, Sister Theresa!?" or the popular line, "Sister, look at this one!" (pointing to a wound that needs to be bandaged).  Each greeting is paired with the biggest smile painted boldly on their faces.  I spend every evening of my weekdays playing, singing, and dancing with so many children.  We toss stones, draw pictures in the dirt, make up hand-shakes, and skip deep into the village.  Life is so simple and so joyful.

What I am realizing is the gift that God has given me in being an authentic part of these children's lives.  God sent me here for one reason.  He didn't send me here to simply bandage wounds and hand out medications.   Instead, He sent me to South Sudan to be present and to love these kiddos.   Mission is not about "doing."  It is about being and loving.  The most important thing that I can do for these kids is to offer simple moments to just be with the children and love them. 

Skill and expertise are not the aim, but the amount of heart I can pour into my work.  This is where true "success" lies, not only in mission but in the very essence of life.

 Before coming to South Sudan, I read a quote that has resonated throughout my short two months.  "The most important hour is always the present.  The most significant person is precisely the one sitting across from you right now.  The most necessary work is always love." (Meister Eckhart).  I have been doing my best to let these words guide my work and my life here.  The rule I've set for myself from the beginning of this mission is to always choose the person in front of me before anything else.  If I want to check Facebook to see what everyone is up to at home, but a little rascal wants to play, the internet can wait so that the child can be loved now.  I need to constantly put people first because they are what really matter.  Each day, these amazing kids teach me valuable life lessons.  They call me to be present and to love just as Christ Himself loved.  They reinforce one simple idea that I have been taught over and over again but rarely  observed in such a concrete way:  My vocation is to love.

Despite the language barrier and the moments of frustration and hesitation that naturally come each day, I am so deeply and peacefully happy here.  I am exactly where I am supposed to be, without question.

I strive to live simply and intentionally in every moment I am blessed with in South Sudan.  With two months down, I can only hope and pray to take in and appreciate every moment in the next year and a half with these sweet children and loving adults who have already taught me to view the world through different eyes.