Has it really been a year?

Has it really been a whole year since I “jumped off the plane at LAX” wearing chacos and an old t-shirt, singing some Miley Cyrus? Since the wild, around-the-world, living-out-of-a-backpack, unpredictable, adventurous chapter of my life came to a close? In some ways it seems like just the other day I was on the World Race, and in others it seems more like a dream than a past reality.

 

 

 

Readjusting to life in America has been easy in some ways, hard in others. For example: sleeping in my amazingly comfortable bed – easy; relearning how to digest America’s super processed foods – not as easy. I still speak in “Spanglish” regularly, and it’s hard for me not to dance around “African style” when I hear great worship music. Rice and beans are still a favorite, and no Thai food in America compares to the $1(USD) cashew chicken at the little market in Bangkok. 2011’s pop culture is something I’m clueless about, and my fashionable friends just laugh at my desire to incorporate crazy international clothes and accessories into any outfit.  

After returning home from a trip like the World Race, I’ve learned that people have lots of questions for you. The most common questions I’ve been asked are as follows:
·        What was your favorite country?

·        What was the grossest/weirdest thing you ate?

·        Would you do it again?

·        Are you planning on being an overseas missionary full-time?

·        Did you meet your future husband while you were gone?

·        How often did you shave your legs and/or bathe?

While I don’t mind answering questions about food and personal hygiene (although I found it odd that my teenage cousin, Chad, was the one most concerned about whether or not I shaved my legs regularly), I love talking about the friends I now have in the different countries, telling their stories, and talking about what God did in me during this year that was surrendered to Him.

So what am I doing now?When I returned home a year ago, the Lord had clearly told me to go home “for a season” to work and minister in Chattanooga, and He has truly been blessing me in that calling. Currently, I work at a wonderful non-profit ministry that broadcasts Christian apologetics programing on TV and radio to countries all over the world. At church, I co-teach 11-12^th grade girls Sunday School, work with the 3-5 year olds, help organize and participate in the college and career Bible study and activities, and go on every youth trip I can. Even on the World Race, my teammates could tell you that my mind and heart was constantly back on the teenagers in my youth group back home, and now He’s allowing me to share my experiences with them and share in their lives day-to-day, while living out my passion for discipleship and using creative arts to communicate His truth. I love teenagers! I am constantly humbled and encouraged by this next generation that is seeking after God, despite the turbulent and chaotic realities that bombard them every day.

 

 

Although my life in 2012 has looked vastly different from 2011, there have still been struggles, joys, tears, and hard lessons to learn. Sometimes my heart yearns to be far away, encouraging believers and sharing the gospel in areas that it is desperately needed. Sometimes I miss holding little hands, eating strange things, and walking down roads that may never know pavement. But the Lord has given me a bigger dream, and that is to trust and follow Him. I will go where He tells me to go, and right now He has told me to stay. The need in America is great, and His plans are so much better than mine! God certainly used the World Race to shape my goals and desires, and I pray that I can be a faithful servant and a willing vessel no matter what He has in store for me!