WE'RE HOME!
It still doesn't feel real.
We've said our "goodbyes" to the family with whom we just spent the last year, boarded one last flight, and said "hello" to the family that loved and supported us through everything.
Yet it doesn't feel real.
We landed in Chicago and were surrounded with hugs, tears, "Welcome Home" posters, and a brand new baby to hold (my best friend's handsome lil' guy). We were exhausted, jet lagged, and emotional monsters to say the least.
I was ecstatic and nervous to come home. I still am. Leaving one life and entering another in such a short time is bound to have it's effects. I remember a time on the Race when all I wanted to do was come home. I would cry to Jeremy and my team about how homesick I was and how I didn't think I could make it. Yet here I am, home safe and sound, and I survived the Race. 11 months traveling the world. 14 countries. 15 flights. Who knows how many buses.
I put on my "tough face", sucked it up, and did it because I KNEW that God called us to this thing. He also called us to come home. We knew that eventually this adventure would end and we'd be back in America. I knew that eventually I wouldn't have to be brave anymore. But then I realized something: I'm TERRIFIED! Totally, completely, overwhelmingly TERRIFIED!
I came home to a land that believes that money is power, that the more you have the more you're worth, that possession are everything, and every man for himself. God is forgotten and morals are swept under the rug.
That petrifies me beyond belief.
I knew that it would be like this. I was scared 6 months ago, and I still had half the Race to finish.
Leaving America scared me. Coming home scared me even more. I don't think I'm brave, and I came home to the "home of the brave". I don't think I can face the realities of being an American. I'm not cut out for this job.
On the contrary: I AM cut out for this job. You see, God allowed me to be born HERE, in THIS country. He has given me the unique opportunity to travel the world serving Him, but the beautiful thing is that it's not over. In fact, it's
just
getting
started.
I'm here, and I have a mission: a mission to serve those around me the best way I know how. I have a mission to love those as Christ loves, to show them grace in every situation, and to share His love with them. THAT is why I have to be brave. THAT is why I'm here.
I miss the life I've had for the past year. I miss the early morning prayer sessions, the team times, the evangelism, and the amazing squad I grew to love. However, that chapter is over. God has used it and He will continue to use it for a lifetime. He wants me to take what I learned over there and apply it here. I was born for this moment. I only have this moment to use.
Thank you to all of you who have helped us through this year. We couldn't have made it without you.
