The lines

"The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places." Psalm 16:6
This verse came to mind this evening, as I was sitting in my bunk in a tiny Camden hostel room, where my 5 interns and I are camped out for the next 5 weeks (I've been calling it our mini-van, because that's about the size it is!). I've really been feeling a depth of loneliness that's feeling heavy, as the reality of being in this foreign place for a long time sets in, and I long for "tastes" of home. I think I got about 3 hours of sleep last night- our first night in our hostel room. The nightlife of Camden is pretty happening, and there was a ton of noise throughout the night on the street. I got to Hounslow this morning with the 5 interns, really tired and dragging my feet. We were going to help the Southall team with a book table today. And after I ran to Starbucks and grabbed a caffeinated drink, the zombiness started to wear off a bit, and I went around high street chatting with people. It was so so cool and energizing, and great to be out and doing surveys and just talking to people from different places in the world, some who mentioned the loneliness they struggle with (being a young foreigner here provides a good ground for talking). I felt like we had something in common, and I was able to say that I am also new to the country and am struggling with lonliness too. I've been quick to complain that my living conditions for the next month are hard, and that I'm really exhausted and lonely. But this evening it just hit me that in all of that, the lines have fallen in gracious places in my life today, because I know the hope and love and changelessness of Jesus Christ, and I am no longer an alien or orphan (Eph 1), but a daughter of His family. So yeah, things might be hard and lonely, and I might find Camden crazy intimidating right now, but I know the treasure of Jesus, and am no longer walking in darkness, and that's huge and worth sharing!!