Friends, family, it’s time to address the elephant in the room. Today is Day #319 since I left home, and in 24 short hours, I will be on a plane headed to the USA. It’s hard to sum up 300 days’ worth of life with any kind of brevity. It’s perhaps even harder to sum up how I’m really feeling now, but here goes nothing.
Dear Home,
It’s been awhile. Sometimes it feels like it’s been forever. Other times it feels like I just left. A lot has changed in the past year. I know I’ve changed, and although I’ve only gotten short glimpses from afar, I’m sure you have too.
Although it is bittersweet to be finishing this adventure, I am excited to see you. I never got homesick, but I did think about you. I did miss certain things, and especially people. And I make sure to tell you I’m excited, because it may not always be the most obvious thing as I readjust to life at home.
Like I said, a lot has changed this year. I’ve experienced a lot of growth, difficulties, happiness, sadness, excitement, and frustration, among other things. Those factors have contributed to the fact that the Daniel that left in August isn’t quite the same Daniel who’s coming back in June. I’ve become a better leader and communicator. I’ve grown in confidence in myself, and what God is capable of doing through me. I’ve grown closer to the Lord, and I’ve grown in boldness for the sake of the Gospel. At the core, I’m still the same person, with similar likes, dislikes, personality traits, passions, etc. But I’ve also grown, developed, and matured. And I have to admit that I’m going to need your patience as I figure out how the changed version of me fits at home now.
There will be some reverse culture shock. I’ve become versed in 11 cultures, and a little bit of me stayed behind with each of those cultures, and I carry a little piece of each one with me now. I’ll admit that I’ve become accustomed to incredible hospitality (and it blows me away every time). I imagine it will take some time to adjust to the increased price of food, and the fact that I don’t have to convert the currency in my head. I may forget that I’m basically allowed to wear shorts whenever I want, or that flushing toilet paper is an acceptable practice.
See, my entire concept of what’s normal has been flipped on its head. I’ve been constantly around people this year. The smell of sewage is so common now that I barely notice it. I barely even remember what a seatbelt is. I’ve had all kinds of weird foods and heard all sorts of languages. It’s even become normal to stop traffic with my hands so I can cross the street. There are all sorts of things I now find normal that I never would have expected. Some of these will slowly shift back. But some new concepts of normal will be sticking around.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned since I’ve been away, it’s that literally everything can be a chance to show Jesus’ love. I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had with strangers in restaurants, markets, airports, hostels and guesthouses, on busses, on trains, or on the street. Being encouraging is really not that hard. Neither is offering to pray. I want to be available to anyone, anytime, so this mindset of 24/7 ministry is one of many things I’ll be bringing back when I come.
Home, I’m really excited to see and talk to all the amazing people who watched and supported as I left a year ago. But I hope you’ll bear with me. I need you to understand that coming to you also means parting with my new family of 23. These people have been around me and supporting me for each and every one of the past 300+ days. We’ve laughed together, cried together, thrived together and persevered through struggles together. In short, I’m going to miss the heck out of them. So don’t misunderstand and think I’m not excited to see you. I really am. But please understand that I will need space to miss all my new friends, just like they gave me space to miss you.
Also, I’ll apologize in advance, because inevitably, I’m going to talk about my experiences a lot. And at first you may enjoy it. But after awhile, you may tire of hearing about “that one time in Nepal” or how “this reminds me of Ghana.” The fact is, this has been my existence for the past year, and it’s the only experience I have to draw from for that period of time. So again, I just have to politely request your patience with me.
That said, I really do want to share my experiences if you want to listen. But I also fear that I may accidentally overwhelm you, because there is a lot I could talk about. So consider this your invitation. Ask me questions, the more specific the better. Let me know what you want to know, because I’m happy to tell you.
Home, there’s plenty more to talk about, but I’d rather tell you in person. I’m excited to see you, and I can’t wait to find out what purposes God has for me over there.
See you really soon,
Daniel.
