Like Ozzy Osbourne would say, MAMA IM COMIN’ HOME!!!
In just 10 or so days my squad and I will finally step on USofA soil for the first time in nine months. I can’t believe that this journey is coming to an end. I remember finding comfort in my friends and family telling me “it will fly by so fast, you’ll be home before you know it!” But now, actually going home (not just the idea of it) feels surreal. There’s a thousand emotions swirling all around me and my head is spinning with excitement, fear, joy..
I’m expecting this transition to be equally exciting as it will be hard. I know that God has huge things prepared for me in this next season but that doesn’t make it easier for me to say goodbye to the people I’ve shared everything with for the past nine months. Imagine leaving your people to be welcomed home by your other peoples. It’s really weirddd.
So, I am writing a blog to let you know ways that you can love me well as I transition out of this season into the next!
Don’t have expectations!! I am not a whole different person but I’m also not the same as I left. My hair might be a bit longer and my belly might be a bit bigger, but I’m I still have the same values and beliefs. There’s a lot of pressure that comes with coming home from something like this. Please don’t add to that pressure by expecting me to be the exact same or completely changed.
Talk to me about your year! I want to hear allll about what you learned and what this season of life looked like for you too. So please, please don’t just tell me “it was good”, because I wanna know! I know that life has continued on since I left and I also know that so much has happened in all of your lives too!!! Tell me about it!
Ask me questions!!! I am so excited to share all about the people I’ve met, places I’ve been, foods I’ve eaten, and it would mean so much to me if you asked me about it.
Hard questions to answer are broad and vague, for example:
-How was your year? (how was ur year lol??)
-Are you happy/sad to be back?
-What was your favorite/least favorite part?
-What did you do while you were gone?
Good questions to ask are specific and easier to answer, for example:
-What did ministry look like in each country? Ecuador, Peru, Guatemala, Cambodia- Which was your favorite?
-What was your favorite country culturally?
-What is a big theme that you learned on the race that you will implement into your life at home?
-How was communal living? -funny stories, best parts, worst parts
-How did God move in the countries you went to? (I would love to share testimonies)
-What was your favorite adventure in each country?
-What did you usually eat in each country?
-What did you think would be the hardest part of coming home? Has it been as hard as you thought?
-What are your plans now, post-world race?
There are soooo many more questions that I would love to answer. I have so many funny stories, times of confusion, adventure days, mix ups, weird foods, parasites to tell you about!!!!
Please give me grace in this season. I may cry often and talk about the race/world race people a lot because those are the people I’ve shared just about every moment with for the last year. The past nine months I have been living in different cultures with different languages so I apologize in advance if I accidentally speak Spanish, English and Khmer in one sentence or bow to you as a greeting. Please be patient with me in this transitional season and I will do same for you!
Thank you for loving me enough to read this blog. Thank you for supporting me before, during, and after the race.
See ya soon, Estados Unidos
