Month 6. They say this is when it gets hard.
This last week I cried in a dirty Chinese stairwell with a teammate until 1:30am and consumed 20 Snickers bars solely for familiarity because I miss home.
It’s not any one thing really, but I miss the taste of real American food and the routine of daily life… I miss waking up in my own bed and visiting home on the weekends. I miss watching my favorite tv shows and visiting friends houses for dinner. I miss my old jobs and reminisce on funny people and stories from them with my new teammates who have no clue what I’m talking about. (I once ranted about funny construction stories for 30 minutes before bed). I miss sitting on the beach and driving my car around. I miss my dog and talking with my grandparents on a regular basis. I miss hot showers and walking around barefoot. I miss bathrooms that provide toilet paper and western toilets you can sit down on while you poop. I miss having clean feet and for a while I missed being able to know what not sweating felt like. I miss deodorant that doesn’t make your armpits white and wearing heels because I feel like it.
However, because of the absence of these things, I have learned some valuable lessons that change how I live life. I’ve learned how to make time to read my Bible. I’ve learned the value of vulnerability and how to ask good questions. I’ve learned the habit and importance of taking a Sabbath. I’ve learned what being brothers and sisters in Christ looks like and the value of being single. I’ve learned how to turn any conversation into an evangelic one and how to “check myself” when I’m irritated and there is complete chaos in another language. I’ve learned what it looks like to walk in spirit and walk in flesh and how often I am doing one or the other. I’ve learned what spiritual attacks look/feel like and how to know when it’s happening. I’ve learned how to hear God’s voice and how to get around in many parts of the world. I’ve learned how Chinese high-tech ATM’s work and how relevant enneagram’s are. I’ve learned people’s basic desires are all the same and how many people have literally never heard the Good News. I’ve learned how to barter at the markets, how to manage having your mouth on fire from spicy food and that America is truly BLESSED.
MINDSET // I realize most of the things I miss from home are only possessions and feelings of comfort, and most of the lessons I’ve learned on this race have set me up to have a Kingdom mindset.
HEART // Yeshua calls us away from what we know to do a thing in us that creates a new heart. A heart of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This is a righteous heart.
RELATIONSHIP // The world teaches good relationships only come through physical presence, but I’ve learned the best relationships pierce, reside in and uplift the soul. My God does all three.
