In two weeks, I will have been back on American soil for 6 months.
There are days when all the memories seem fresh and I half expect to be back in my tent under the Swazi sun when I wake up in the mornings. But there are also days where the entire time spent abroad seems more like a haze or distant dream that lingers just beyond tangible grasp. But either way, I have come to the conclusion that I am long overdue on giving an update, no longer only looking back, but moving forward into the many things to come.
MARCH – NOW
The last six months have been a blur of figuring out how to piece life back together in the midst of a pandemic (as I’m sure it has been for almost everyone).
Although coming home has been accompanied by many frustrations and unmet expectations, it has been utterly humbling to see the countless ways in which God has worked in the lives of my squad members, through divine appointments and opportunities that He had so pristinely prepared for them, knowing all along that this is exactly where we would be. Businesses have been started, families reconnected, loved ones held, and lives changed for the glory of Christ through the event that we initially saw as the end of our ministry.
For my life personally, God also had a few things prepared. The first several weeks of being home, I felt the Lord nudge me into action on a vision he gave me in Peru last December. A longtime dream, that He restored to my heart with new promises of what it could look like to build my dreams for His kingdom. God is a father and a dreamer that so deeply cares about the hearts and longings of His children. It is so beautiful to remember that regardless of how big my own dreams are, His dreams for me will always be bigger. Although definitely not a process I intended on initiating this year, I came to the conclusion that my fear of missing out on a God-ordained opportunity was much greater than my fear of earthly failure. With that being said, I leave this topic sufficiently vague because I do not have clear answers yet. I am knee-deep into the process of directing my future, through a plan destined to fail without a lot of divine intervention. I would love your prayer for continued guidance as I work on walking out this crazy ride of a life submitted to His will and not my own. As soon as I get clarity from Him, I promise it will be relayed.
NOW
Beyond that, the Lord’s provision did not stop. Today, I write to you from Arkansas. I have been in Arkansas for almost a month now, working as an ER travel nurse. Having the opportunity to work back in an ER amidst all that is happening in the world has been such sweet provision, only made sweeter by the fact that I have been able to embark on this new adventure alongside Rachel B (from beloved A squad). We will be working together as ER nurses for two more months before we decide what comes next.
Thus far, Arkansas has been such a joy. It has brought life and vibrancy beyond what I could have hoped for. One of the biggest things I have missed from the race is the community, and the Lord has held nothing back from me in that area. In my short time here, I have met so many incredible people and have been able to get connected in so many ways.
LATER
The question I get most frequently is, are you going back?
The short answer to that, I can now affirmatively say, is yes!
AIM has been so incredible with managing this entire situation and has been beyond flexible with accommodating all of its missionaries, both in the transition back to America and in getting back to the field. We have been presented with several opportunities for what the future could look like, and a group of my old squad has decided that we want to relaunch together. That being said, if all goes well, a team of us that came off of the field in March will relaunch together in January. Where to exactly, is yet to be determined, both by prayer and by border regulations. I am beyond excited to have the opportunity to finish what we started, and even more excited to be able to do so alongside some of my A-squad family.
BEYOND THAT
As mentioned previously, what the future looks like beyond relaunch is not yet clear. But the one thing I know, exciting things are coming!
“But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” -Acts 20:24
P.S. If anyone wants to be my new penpal. My new address is: 5100 S Zero St. Apt# 2010 Fort Smith, AR 72903.
