“And thus it was. A fourth age of middle-earth began. And the fellowship of the ring… though eternally bound by friendship and love… was ended. Thirteen months to the day since Gandalf sent us on our long journey… we found ourselves looking upon a familiar sight. We were home. How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on… when in your heart you begin to understand… there is no going back?”
While this quote may firmly establish that I am a nerd, I have to admit that I love the Lord of the Rings. And now, I feel like I can somehow relate more than ever.
I am three days away from the end of my own journey.
This crazy journey that has been full of ups and downs, tears and laughter, growth, joy, pain, and just about any and every emotion imaginable, is about to end.
And I'm coming home. I'll be heading home to the good old US of A in just three short days. I'll be home in Arizona in just a month. And while it still seems so surreal, reality is starting to sink in a little bit. And it's bittersweet.
I am currently in Bucharest, Romania with my squad for our final few days together, celebrating this journey God has brought us on, and all that He's done. And then we'll board a plane and head back home. Back to our own states, cities and towns.
I realized that I'll be in a situation very similar to the hobbits return to Hobbiton. Well, I wasn't gone for thirteen months, just eleven. And I didn't storm the gates of Mordor, per say. But God took us on an insane journey that not many have braved before. We did storm the gates of hell. We fought from our knees, spoke life, and were the hands and feet of Christ around the world.
Which brings me to that pivotal question that Frodo himself asks once back in his once familiar hobbit hole.
“How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on, when in your heart you realize, there is no going back?”
I know that there is no going back. I have without a doubt changed. Physically, spiritually, emotionally. I am changed from the inside out, and for the better. While I return to a familiar place, and familiar people, things will very much be different.
But God has answered my plea, to give me new eyes. To shift my heart to His. I am still in progress. We all will be for the rest of our lives.
There may be no going back to the way things were, but that only leaves room to move forward into even better things. To bring the kingdom wherever I go in new ways. To continue walking in freedom, walking in boldness with Spirit, to keep using my voice to proclaim and declare His love. Whether that is at home in Tucson, or around the world. I have a voice, and I will declare the goodness of the Lord in all the land, and what He has done.
And that, though different, is exciting.
So watch out, USA. Y Squad is headed back to your soil on Tuesday, and we bring even more of His favor, light and love back with us.
We walk boldly.
We speak His truth in love boldly.
We will be sprinkled throughout the country and the world to grow fruit and scatter His seeds.
Get ready…here we come. Our journey has come to a close. We have been there and back again. Our tale is ready to be told.
Are you ready to hear it?
