A year ago today, I boarded that final plane ride I had been thinking about for months, the one that would take me home. As my plane took off and the US was just a few hours away I opened a letter I have received during a listening prayer in month 3.
I had held onto it all those months because God said to open it ‘on the plane ride home.’ As I read through the words I was confused at first. I thought I had received a letter that was meant for someone specifically because it started with ‘Precious One.’ Then I realized, it was a letter from God directly. In this amazing letter God reminded me of all I had learned over the year, He reminded me that He was the same God on the mission field as He was at home, He reminded me to cling to Him in times of struggle, to always look to Him for my identity, and lastly, He told me how much He loved me. As I read the words on the page tears streamed down my face. He could have told me to open that letter at any point in the 7 months I had it, but He made me wait until the moment when I needed to cling to the fact that He would never change. I held onto those words as our plane landed and life shifted from World Race mentality to reality.
A year ago today I cried and clung to the necks of the family that I had come to know and love not wanting to let go.
A year ago today, I boarded my final connection flight home with thoughts of what was to come racing through my head. (It felt very strange to be on a plane without knowing anyone. I had just traveled with 50 people for a year and now it was just me.)
A year ago today, I saw my family for the first time in a long time and rode home in confusion and shock from the world that was now around me.
When I stop and reflect on this past year I see a lot of darkness, new hope, new adventures, and a lot of love. My first few months home were horrible…just ask my mom and close friends. They try to train you before you leave the field for what is to come, but for me….none of that mattered. I didn’t know how to function at home now. I didn’t know how to interact with my friends. I lost connection with God, I became very depressed and anxious, I could no longer be around groups of people for more than 30 minutes at a time. But, after a few months things started to look up and life got better. I got a job at a Christian ministry and am loving it! I have started to lead a small group at church and am doing all I know how to do to get a community like I had on the race. I can look back and say the first 3 months after I got home were some of the darkest in my life, but God is good and He will always lead you back to the light.
The World Race was the best year of my life!! It was full of love, adventure, hope, growth, hardship, and joy. I have never had a time in my life where I grew more in the Lord. The World Race sparked a love for God and missions in my life that I know has become my passion. It is hard to believe that I’ve been home from the World Race for a whole year. But the WR was and is just a staring block for me and everyone on it currently. We are not meant to come home and go back to a normal life. We are meant to take the things we saw, the things we learned, and our new convictions and change the world!
The World Race may be over for me, but the real race is just beginning.
