Hello everyone, I have been busy but also really enjoying the people here. I am so excited about this experience that I've been kind of down because I'm not ready to return to the states. It's funny I was so nervous about coming now I hate I have to leave but I thank God that this is only the beginning of what He will allow me to experience in my lifetime. On my last entry I asked the question what's your vision and since then I 've been reading about Joseph and a person I admire a lot Nelson Mandela. On my birthday I had the privilege to go and visit the prison of Nelson Mandela and learn about all that he went through to see South Africa free, I also read the short version of his book A Long Walk to Freedom. For those of you that do not know Nelson Mandela was inprisoned for fighting against the South African government and was later sentenced to 27 years in prison. He only served 18 of those 27 years but the awesome thing is that he became president of the country that locked him up for fighting against it. Nelson Mandela stated in his book that he had a vision that one day South Africa would be free and he stood by that no matter what he went through. While in prison he was hung from the top of the jail cell by his ankles, wasn't given food for days at a time, and beaten but in spite of all this he would not retailate because he said that if he did he would be no better than the people that were doing these horrible things to him. He taught the other prisoners to do the same, this was his way of instilling in them character. Nelson Mandela had this vision of seeing South Africa free in his 20s but the vision didn't some to pass until his 70s. Wow! What patience and faith. And while reading about Joseph, God gave him a vision at 17 and from that time he was sold into slavery, lied on, put in prison only to be head man in charge at the age of 30. God has really been dealing with me about vision and trails and tribulations. He used these two examples to show me that once He gives the vision He then has to prepare me for what He has promised. I sometimes find myself asking God why for alot of things; why this didn't work or why that didn't work, or even why God is this happening to me but He has really opened my eyes to tell me "I'm only preparing you for the vision that I given you." So no matter how hard the trails and tribulations I go through seem to be just remember He's taking me higher; to that place He has commanded me to be. When I look at this opportunity that God has affored me at this time in my life I get scared because I say God if you can do this now, only you know what's in store for me. I see now that it is the light not the darkness that's within me that scares me. Joseph went through, Nelson Mandela went through but it was all for the glory of God. Even as these people went through their hardships what was to come not only affected them but in both cases a nation and a country. So the vision that God has given you are you willing to endure to set others free? My question is am I willinging to endure to receive all that God has in store for me or will I forfit the dreams because it gets too hard?