For as long as I can remember, I have been comfortable. I have lived in the same house since I was 10. I have gone to the same church since I was 11. I have gone to the same school since I was 12. I have had the same friends since I was 14. I have had the same job since I was 16.
Yes, I have been comfortable…but I have also been stagnant.
I have been in Asheville for a month and I have grown more during these last few weeks than I have in the last 6 years.
Be that as it may, these last few weeks have also been incredibly difficult. I’ve cried…a lot.
If you had told me that I would be experiencing a yearning for home only a few short days after leaving Ohio, I would have scoffed. Could not be me. I could not wait to flee good ol’ Cincinnati.
Folks, homesickness is, evidently, a real issue as it has introduced itself to me in all its splendor and glory. For reasons, unbeknownst to me, I have longed for my family.
That was a joke – you can laugh! Haha!
In all seriousness though, I find myself sincerely missing my mother’s hugs and my dad’s words of affirmation. If I am being completely honest, it has been my number one distraction while serving here in Asheville.
Satan has found my weakness, a weakness that I did not know I possessed, and he has exploited it.
My God, however, is bigger than my weakness.
Since my arrival to Asheville, I have seen countless landmarks and items that have reminded me of home and that have brought me comfort.
For instance, at the corner of one street near Black Mountain, there is a CPA office. My father is a CPA. That building, that small stone structure, brought happy tears to my eyes. Another instance occurred at the Thrift Store that I am serving in. In a cart, in the middle of the store a few weeks ago, there was a pig stuffed animal. It was the same one that my mother had given me a few years ago. Its twin is sitting in my closet back home. This instance also brought tears to my eyes.
I truly believe that both of these instances were not merely coincidences. At each of those times, the thought of home was so surreal that I could barely function. My palms were sweaty and my heart was pounding…but the moment that I saw that rundown building and that stupid stuffed animal, I experienced peace in all of its splendor and glory.
Yes, I have learned what real homesickness is, but I have also learned what equanimity is and that, peace, has brought me comfort. I am confident that God provides these moments of comfort in the uncomfortable to give you the stamina, the grit, to finish the mission that He has called you to. He never gives His children more than they can bear. With or without those calm reminders of home, I would have seen this mission through because I know that this is what He has called me to, but I am also a firm believer that God provides His children with the tools to face their missions head-on and these reminders were the tools that He gave me. God has taught me, here in Asheville, that growth and grace like to hold hands.
Trip Update(!!!)
Hello! My time in Asheville is sadly coming to a close. I leave this Saturday, August 1st! I am so so blessed to have been able to serve in both the Black Mountain Home for Children Thrift Store and in Bounty and Soul! What an amazing opportunity that I have had to grow in my relationship with the Lord! I CANNOT thank you enough for partnering with me! Thank you for your support and prayers! My life, as cheesy as it may sound, is changed for the better. Words fail to express how thankful I am to have had this experience. I look forward to sharing further details of my time spent in Asheville very soon, hopefully face-to-face.
