I’m coming home really soon. Like REALLY soon.
I am coming home a couple weeks early for my sisters graduation from nursing school, and I couldn’t be more proud of my big sister. I remember when she was pregnant with Lucy and I would take her to the community college and pick her up. I would watch her waddle down the steps, her hand on her swollen belly, and pride in my heart. She is amazing and I am so excited to celebrate her day with her! She has earned it. Being a wife and mom and graduating from nursing school? What the heck! She is amazing. I’m so grateful that I was there in the beginning with her through the process of nursing school, and now I get to be there at the end!
So now, I will be coming home May 15. I will haves series of long travel days, so please be praying for my safety. For the past year and a half I have mostly traveled in large groups, especially long distances, so I’m a little nervous to be traveling alone. So please pray for safety and none of my flights are delayed so I make it home safely.
These past few days a lot of emotions have come up. The race has been great, easy and yet hard. And so amazing. And so good. It’s been my life, and I have loved it. I missed my family a lot, but I was able to see them twice this past year and a half. God blessed me with seeing my grandma Lucy in November, and calling her on the phone and telling her I loved her hours before she passed in February.
I have hiked a volcano, visited a lot of temples, held people that have cried, been held while I cried, I earned a certificate in learning kindergarten Braille, i witnessed people giving their lives to Jesus, I was able to baptize a dear friend and sister of mine, I have lived life as a local, learning all the hidden spots and eating a lot of street food.
I prayed for people and they were healed, i have carried all of my belongings in a 45 lbs. bag, I have slept in a lot of beds, I went salsa dancing, I ate tarantulas, I taught to high schoolers and college students, I played volleyball on the beach, I played rugby in Africa, I have traveled by car, plane, bus, train, walking, and have been in 18 countries the past 17 months.
I have loved this life, even though at times it has been really challenging.
Now let me tell you what God has done. He has set captives free, He has used us to pray for people and then He healed them, He has given us words for people that lead them to Himself and show them His love. God has shown me how much He loves the world and how much He loves me. He has set me free from sin I never though I would be free from. He showed me that He is incredibly creative and created some really beautiful places.
In moments of sadness, He comforted my heart. He answered so many prayers, little and big ones. He revealed Himself through His Word, and through others, He is such a big God, and He loves the people He created so much.
I serve an amazing God who heals broken hearts and sets captives free.
Part of me can’t wait to go home and hug my mom and dad, part of me can’t wait to take my niece to the zoo, part of me can’t wait to have a washer and dryer and a shower that is only used by me. But the other part of me is sad, because it is hard for me to picture me doing life at home without moving once a month, and without living surrounded by over 40 people.
God did a lot of work in me on my World Race, and then used squad leading to solidify that work. Gold has refined me. He took me on an adventure 17 months ago, and now…I’m going on another adventure at home. And I am excited because life with God is not boring. It is simple, and beautiful. And sometimes terrifying and exhilarating. But at least all of it is with Him.
The best thing I did on the World Race was pursue Jesus in the midst of everything. The good, bad, ugly, processing, healing, restoring…all those times were spent with Him. And now, the best thing I am going to be able to do at home, is pursue Jesus. My circumstances my change, but He never changes.
I love this life. I don’t know what He has in store for my future, but this I do know, I that I am His daughter and He has a plan and a purpose for me. I do believe I will always have a heart for Missions and discipling others. And I believe squad leading was preparation for that. I was made for this. Not just traveling, although I do love that part of it, but to tell people about Jesus. To help them see how much He loves them. I am an incredibly blessed woman.
I am home in 9 days. Thank you to everyone who has loved and supported me through this crazy journey. I am so blessed, and so grateful.
-Ari
