So as you know I stopped through the great US of A on our way from Manila to Nicaragua. We left Manila on Friday, February 1st at 8am and arrived on the tarmac in LA at 7:45am on Friday, February 1st! It was crazy to have left and arrived on a different continent on the same day. We were zonked and it had been a long day of travel but we were so excited and anxious to enter again on American soil. I have said for a while that once I landed on American soil again that I would kiss the ground but instead I just threw myself against the sign welcoming us to LA.
It was a glorious reunion. We were so excited and we kept telling the immigration staff that we had been traveling the world for the last 8 months and this was our first visit back to America. Chad Mast and Morgan McKeown from the January 07′ race and also our friends from our time spent together on the race met us in LA. They picked us up and took us to a few families homes in Long Beach. We were so blessed by their hospitality and love that they showed us for those 48 hours. It was so good and strange (in a good way) to be in a “home”. With real carpet, a couch, pictures and knick knacks and a yard! I haven’t seen so much green grass and such wide streets since June.
We plopped our stuff down and took hot showers (which are a rarity in Southeast Asia) and made some plans for the day. We wanted to stock up on goodies that can only be found in the states so Target was the goal of the day. Elizabeth Uhles college pastor, Benson Hines, happened to be in LA at the same time and he was very generous and took us on our first adventure into American culture. Target was the goal of the day. I spent the day with a couple of my teammates Elizabeth and Brady and I cannot express in words the feelings that came over us when we saw the Target. We came in the store and jumped up and down! I was overcome with feelings of excitement and awe. The mass of stuff and things that were familiar but all new at the same time was crazy. We spent 2 hours in the Target just enjoying the view of all these new things.
We had another goal for our short time in the US of A and that was some good ole’ American food. The Philippines was very western, they even had a Wendy’s and Taco Bell so we debated between Chick-fil-a and Chili’s. Those things are never found overseas. Chick-fil-a was the winner and we enjoyed a delicious meal with free refills, lots of ice, and unlimited ketchup! It was such a treat.
That night we were all so tired because of the traveling and the 12 hour time difference I was asleep by 8:30pm. We awoke the next day to bagels, coffee, real orange juice! And I ate it in bed while Elizabeth and I watched a movie – we were spoiled! So that day too we just wanted to enjoy things and finish up getting things done. We found free wireless internet at Panera and one more quick stop at Target to finish up my shopping. I stocked up on toiletries for a month – nothing smells as good as western shampoo.
Both nights our host families provided delicious meals for us and we were overwhelmed with their hospitality and care of us. Being in LA really just felt like being in another foreign country. Because LA isn’t my home. My home is in North Carolina and I am sure when I come home again I will experience a new kind of culture shock.
The culture shock of being back in America wasn’t as bad as I expected, but it made me really appreciate the 3 months that I have left on the race. It helped me be reminded that I am so blessed to travel and see the world while sharing the hope of Jesus with the nations. I live in community and I have some of the best friends that a girl could have surrounding me every day. That quick trip “home” really showed me that I have found a home with my squadmates. I have a new family in my World Race community. They appreciate and sometimes even encourage my daily singing performances and they see me when I am being selfish and not selfless and they still choose to love me every day. What a gift God has given me.
Now I know home and all those comforts are coming soon but I am not rushing and wishing them here. I am just enjoying these people and this life everyday to the fullest. Before the race I said “I can do anything for a year.” And at many points along the way I really doubted that I could live like this for a year. Now I am looking back and I have seen a glimpse of the future and it has been my privilege to live this crazy life. I would not change it for the world.
