In 15 days I will be stepping of the plane in the Richmond airport. I’ll be home at last. I’ll be reunited with friends and family that I’ve waited 9 months to see. Naturally, I’m feeling mixed emotions about finally being home. Mostly I’m excited to be home and the days seem to drag by a little bit, but when I think about how fast the race has gone by, I know that these next 15 days will seem like 15 minutes. Of course I’m sad that I have to leave my team. These girls have been there for me when I’m sad because of something ridiculous like not having any snacks. they’re there for me when I’m happy, when I’m confused about what to do after the race, and theyre there when I dont want them to be there but i know I need them to be. They are my sisters and the thought of not doing life with them anymore makes me really sad so I’m gonna stop talking about it before I cry. I’m also sad to leave the routine. I know that might sound crazy, but we always had designated Jesus time, worship time, ministry time, and break time and it made life a lot less chaotic. At home there is a lot more freedom so my days arent as structured which is great, but living with a lot of structure for so long has made me love it. When I think back to May 2017, the race just seemed like it was still years away from happening, but here I am, a month later, wondering how this much time has gone by. It seems like last week that I was hugging my parents goodbye and being reunited with my team in Georgia. 1 year ago I was finishing up my senior year and I was in no way mentally or physically prepared to leave my family and friends for 9 months and travel with people I didnt know. Eventhough I didnt feel prepared, the Lord prepared me and here I am, a year later and I can’t imagine not being here. The Lords plan is perfect and his timing is perfect eventhough it doesnt align with our timing. Jesus has a cool way of using the unexpected to reveal his perfect plan. 2 years ago, I never would have guessed that I would be traveling the world with complete strangers. This trip was everything I was afraid of; being away from all my friends and family, having to befriend 45 new people, living in a strangers house, among many other things, but I did it and it was amazing. As this trip comes to a close I want to have a positive attitude about leaving and about coming home. I want to happy with my time on the race, but also happy to be coming home. There is a season for everything and eventhough this season is ending, I’m going to carry the things I learned and my memories through every other season of my life. I cant wait to see everyone when I get home!
P.s. I land in Richmond late on June 3rd and I will be at church on June 10th. I was going to make this a surprise, but i wanted to make sure I got to see everyone. If you want to talk to me about my trip, have lunch, get coffee, or hang out with me, you can message me on Facebook and I would love to talk about my trip and hear about whats been happening since I’ve been gone.
