And it All Comes to an End...

I've been home a little over a week and have had some time to reflect on the summer... It seems odd to write a blog using an American keyboard and Internet I don't have to pay for, sitting in the air conditioned comfort of my own house! Switching cultures is definitely something I continue to get used to.

On our last Sunday in Abidjan, the church presented us with elder garments, and told us that we were now African kings and queens! Many people from the congregation had made dresses & shirts from the same fabric to celebrate the end of youth week and the end of our stay.

Sunday night we welcomed a new guest to our house - John Watton, a Nazarene missionary from Ghana. The discussions we had with John were challenging, especially hearing his view of North American culture and his perspective as a missionary. One of my favorite observations he made is that North Americans rush and hurry just to find comfort. Parts of our conversations seemed to tie the entire trip together, from what we had seen and experienced to what we would see and experience upon re-entry to the U.S.

John also challenged us in a less serious way. That is, when we saw photos from his last YIM team and the weaves/braids they had gotten on their trip, he told us, "Just do it!" So we did. 9 hours later for me, and 7 hours later for Sarah, over the course of two days, we had African weaves. And they looked pretty ridiculous!!

This is the end of the process - soaking the hair in boiling water!

The end result...

We were privileged to leave the extra money from our food budget for the Central and Southern Districts, to buy a pulpit for the church where we did some construction, and for a camera for the NYI council (Berenje, Parfait, Rita, and Samuel)! We got to spend lots of time with those four during our last days, and I was so thankful to take it all in!

After an entire summer away from home, I found that the Wednesday we left, I was wishing for more time! The NYI council brought a meal over, and we all ate together around the dining room table one last time. We headed to the airport after a few premature tears by Sarah & I as we pulled away from the guest house. The actual leaving process is a story of its own, so you'll have to ask me for that one in person. My last view through my tear-filled eyes was the council members waving as we passed through security. I couldn't be more grateful for the friendship and love they provided.

We traveled for 37 hours to make it back to El Paso. You would have thought it was Christmas when we sat down on the flight from Abidjan to Paris and discovered what movies we could choose from on our personal televisions! We spent five hours in Paris and got to watch the sunrise, have breakfast, and buy some souvenirs. Sarah and I even saw the Eiffel Tower when we took off (from the top level of a 747!)

After a nine hour flight, and a long layover in Atlanta (where we got some much desired fast food!!), we finally finished our trip and ended in El Paso. As soon as we got out to the shuttle for the hotel where we were staying, we saw our other YIM world-travelers... What a blessing to be able to share our stories and pictures with others who really understood. I reminded myself that these 40 students were the ones who would understand best what it was like to spend a summer in another country and return to the United States (where, I might add, I was completely shocked by women wearing shorts, people speaking English, and how fast everyone moved!!).

Our time in El Paso at re-entry camp truly was precious. Whether it was laughing and sharing stories as 5 people helped take out Sarah and my braids (yes, it took hours), welcoming back our family group, the Mexico team, spending time in worship together, or meeting with Norm as a team to work through our experience, the entire process was priceless. One of my favorite nights was the weird souvenir show... I'm not sure what kind of convention the hotel guests thought we were a part of! Girls wore dresses that looked like huge bags, Jake brought his noise-makers from the World Cup, teams shared the songs they used for VBS, and Mexico brought back some iguana skin... Just to name a few. Of course, we truly were re-entering U.S. culture. When the maid came after the first night, Sarah, the girls from Senegal, and myself were so confused about why she'd need to clean our room! "Ummm... Can we just have a few new towels? Yeah, that's all we need..." Sarah and I were also amazed at the cars who let us pass across streets instead of honking at us, and we nearly flagged down the first taxi we saw because we were so excited!

We concluded our time together Sunday morning by sharing meaningful Scripture from the summer, then headed to the airport on different shuttles. Saying goodbye wasn't as hard as I expected, knowing how small the Nazarene community is... I'm sure I'll run into my YIM friends throughout the years, and I know I'll see Sarah when she brings her sister to Olivet in a month. I flew out of El Paso to Las Vegas, the epitome of the awesome U.S. culture I was adapting to. Not. However, I found a sweet surprise in Las Vegas... I was talking to Chris as I got off the plane, when he said, "In that letter you sent home, you forgot to write about when I surprised you at Olivet for your birthday... blah, blah, Las Vegas..." Thinking he misspoke, I argued about what I wrote in the letter, then asked, "And what about Las Vegas?" He repeated himself, "When I surprised you at Olivet for your birthday... and when I surprised you in Las Vegas... Turn around." I turned in slow motion, to find Chris ten feet away in the midst of the airport rush, smiling at me. Through my tears and our hugs I asked the stupid question, "Are you on my flight home, too?!" He was :)

My family awaited me in Indianapolis, my luggage did not. It took an extra trip to Canada... oh well, what's a night without the clothes I wore all summer?

I left home May 26 with Africa in my head, and I left with Africa engraved on my heart. I was forever changed by the things I saw, the people I met, and the hospitality and love they showed me. I am challenged by the lifestyle I once thought was the American dream - go to school, get a job, have a family, retire. Is this really all that God calls us to be? I hope that this summer writes missions on my heart for the rest of my life, whether supporting missionaries, or going to other countries myself. It just doesn't seem like enough to live here, unassumingly, while others fight the injustice and poverty (physically and spiritually) of this world. Join me in asking God what we can do to fight for his winning Kingdom. Thanks for tuning in this summer, it's been incredible, and I'm glad I could share a small piece of it with you!