"My loved ones, let us devote ourselves to loving one another. Love comes straight from God, and everyone who loves is born of God, and truly knows God. Anyone who does not love does not love God, because God is love." - 1 John 4:7 This is my anthem, my motto, my mantra. Or at least I want it to be. I want to embody love, and though I know I never can fully exemplify the essence of love, I want to come as close as I possibly can to be like Jesus. Like God. Like Love. When I read this verse yesterday afternoon, I knew what I wanted my life to be - a devotion to loving people. For so long I have tried to figure out what my life’s purpose is, and when I read this verse I realized my purpose has been sitting right in front of me this entire time. It’s simple really. Love God. Love others. Funny how it took me going all the way to Africa to realize it. I see Jesus everywhere here. I feel His breath in the wind that brushes against my cheek; I feel His hand curve around mine when my fingers are entwined with a small child’s. It’s not that I don’t feel Him in Canada, it’s just that He is so evident to me here. Perhaps it’s because I’ve never needed Him as much as I do right now. He has quickly become my comfort. (Jolly Ranchers and Werther candies can only go so far, and then comes Jesus.) It’s not that I’m not happy here - I am - it’s just that everything is so different from home. The beds and showers and food and people are all different. And that’s not a bad thing, but it’s so comforting to know that Jesus will never change, or leave me. That He will always be with me, because He is love..