Hello again! I know it has been several months since my last update and returning back to the states..sometimes it feels like just yesterday and other times it feels like ages.. but I wanted to fill you all in a bit on current happenings and invite you all to follow a new blog I just started (www.burkieburk.wordpress.com)!
First, thank you all for the continued support and prayers all along the World Race journey and for prayers with transitioning back to life in America! I look back on last year and am still blown away by the support and love that I received from all over. The Lord has seriously blessed my life by using you all in it.
Upon returning home in May, I spent some time visiting family and friends, helped out on a youth church trip, caught up in Austin, and took a trip to New York. The summer was packed with some much needed catching up with folks and beginning the process of processing what all happened and is going on.
At the end of July, I began a year long discipleship program called the Timothy Team with TBarM Camps in New Braunfels, where I currently am living and working. It is a year designed to work through a curriculum (going to Israel is part of it!!), go on a mission trip, serve and work at camp, and live in community with the other staff in the program. Day to day, it means the 10 of us on “Tim Team” all live in one big house on property and work with a wide range of groups that come through camp during the school year on retreats. We have 3rd graders through adults in corporate groups come out to camp for a day to a week and we lead them through team building and the high ropes course and hangout with them and show them some loven’. We stay pretty busy and work hard, but there are definitely some perks to the job..who else gets to make smores or blob as part of their work?! Work hard, play hard is generally how it goes!
Overall, the transition from the Race, to summer, to camp has been busy but I feel like things are starting to settle down a bit. It has been nice to live close to Austin where I can go to the church I went to in college and it feels like home. The Lord has been gracious in that it hasn’t felt super overwhelming either. I have had chance to sit and talk several people’s ears off, which has also been a blessing and have enjoyed hearing how other’s years were as well. There are definite days where I wish I could teletransport back to Malawi or the Philippines with my team and my big red pack and be back doing ministry in different places, but I am grateful for where I am and know the Lord is teaching me a lot!
I do still find myself grocery shopping for our TimTeam with the World Race mentality..and budget 🙂 and then remind myself I can now purchase Jiff peanut butter and that our group of 10 may want more than one jelly flavor. And yes, I take longer showers now than ever before and praise God for them!
So once again, thank you to you all for all your support! And if you are interested, feel free to check-out www.burkieburk.wordpress.com !
I still may occasionally post on this world race site, but am making the transition to a new blog just for kicks.
a view from our TimTeam training in Colorado
the TimTeam crew ready for our first day of work
some fun camp happenings.. above paint wars from mother daughter retreat and below fun in the photo both with the TimTeam girls! 
