Hopped off the plane at LAX with a dream and my cardigan…
In 1 week, my squad has a layover at LAX, and I finally get to step foot on American soil again!
I can’t believe it’s only been 7 months since we flew out of Atlanta. It feels like a year since I’ve been in Africa, and even Nepal seems like 6 months ago.
On most days, I barely remember what a month it is. I just know this is month 8, and I can’t believe this is our last month in Asia. I now associate a new month with each new country or ministry site. For example, month 7 felt like 2 or 3 months since we boarder hopped between Thailand and Cambodia 3 times. Seasons are even more ambiguous, and it’s felt like summer since September with a single month of winter in Nepal. Time flies by, but at the same time, my week in Thailand easily felt like a month.
My concept of time has been completely warped by the countless memories, divine revelations, new faces, inspiring stories, deep talks, and beautiful people. Without fail, the goodbyes never get easier, and one month is never long enough.
Now more than ever, I truly believe abundant life cannot be measured or contained by terms of time. As my coach Eileen told me back in Cambodia, “God is not concerned with time.” I’ve found He is concerned with beauty, love, and His people. He wants to be with us more than He wants to fix us. He’s not in a hurry, and He’s certainly never late. Doing life with the Lord is less about following set schedules and more about being available and attentive to wherever He moves. Abundance is the fullness of life with the Lord. It’s the moments where I see glimpses of God and experience His love anew. Abundance is boldly saying yes to whatever He brings into my life even though that also means my future is unknown.
It’s still surreal to be half way around the world, but this is my life now.
As my family faithfully reminds me, I’ve been horrible at posting blogs, but so so much has happened. My words never seem to capture the wonder, joy, tears, heartache, monotony, and whimsy packed into every week. I’m in a crazy time capsule of challenges and experiences. In the coming weeks though, I’m compiling about 5 months of updates and stories. I have literally 10 blogs in the works because I’m also the person who consistently has 15 tabs open all at once. Sorry, Mom!
For my friends, family, and supporters, I think of you all often and am still endlessly grateful to be here. I can’t thank you all enough for your overwhelming support, prayers, and encouragement even when I didn’t have enough Wi-Fi to respond. Your birthday wishes, comments, and letters have meant the world to me, and I really do read them all. Stay tuned for those updates! I’ll date them as they were written.
Love and miss you all!
