Hey everyone!
So I have been back in the US for just under 2 weeks now. Since getting back I’ve reunited with my amazing family, eaten at my favorite cajun seafood restaurant, had Thanksgiving (w/ cranberry sauce, my fave part!), caught up on the final season of LOST (sad), felt overwhelmed in loud places, gotten reacquainted with my “Dallas driving skillz”, slept a lot more than I expected to, gotten sick from American food, reunited with my amazing friends and co-workers…you get the picture.
Jimmy McCarty, one of my brothers, whom I highly respect and admire for his faith, works with the World Race. He knows all about travelling and being overseas for long periods of time. He’s no stranger to how the re-entry process goes. His most recent blog describes it perfectly:
“This week we will talk about re-entry. If you’ve never spent a significant period of time overseas, you may not be familiar with this concept, but coming home is hard to do. There’s a book that likens the return home like a space ship re-entering the atmosphere. Either you “burn up” or “splash down” but either way, something dramatic happens.It’s not a bad thing to come home, but things are different. People don’t understand the journey that just happened, people don’t understand how dire the situation is over “there”. American’s seem wasteful and extravagant. Everything is more expensive, it’s loud, it’s bright, it’s flashy.
Going abroad is not the only part of this journey that requires courage. Coming home is hard, and the journey will not be easy.”
It’s so true! In coming home I have had challenges. But every single time I get to talk about the work our squad did in Africa or Romania or the Philippines or anywhere else on the route…I end up reminding myself of just how amazing and powerful and perfect God is. It gets me pumped up! I get on fire when others get to hear just how far their prayers and financial support took our teams. Sometimes I start to get tears in my eyes when I remember special people I became close to. But I have to come to trust so much more in God’s sovereignty…that He holds the world in His hands and can be trusted with anything and everything.
Some days have been busier than others, but I find that I still struggle with being intentional about seeking out alone time with my Father. But I love that now every single morning I’m asking God what His agenda is for me before trying to pursue my own. I have to consciously remind myself that the same God I saw working in orphanages and prisons and feedings around the world…hasn’t left me or stopped using me because I came “back home”. If anything…He’s just getting started!
So what’s next?
First, if anyone wants to meet with me to hear more about the trip, I have a new ph#: (214) 460-8630 or shoot me an e-mail at [email protected].
I am enjoying time with my family and friends in the Dallas area until the end of this month. In June I will head back to Lubbock, TX and return to my previous job at ARMtech. God has blessed me so much through awesome people there and I’m excited about serving there again. In His goodness to me, God has already provided me with a car, temporary/summer housing and a job before I even set foot in America. I know He’s sending me to Lubbock for this next season to continue bringing Kingdom to that city. Not sure entirely what that looks like…but I’ve let go of demanding the whole picture. It’s much more exciting not knowing everything up front. I have some “kingdom dreams” brewing in my head, and I’m excited to see how it all plays out.
I’m working on organizing pictures and video. Thanks to Warren, he put together a video to recap our past year…enjoy!
