Welcome "home".

Over the next few weeks, many students will return from life-changing summers overseas and begin transitioning back into "normal" life.

The problem is that life will never be "normal" again, or at least I pray that it won't be. They inevitably will be greeted by many well-meaning "Welcome homes" and "I bet you are so happy to be home", which will most likely be returned with a forced smile, a simple thank you, while internally pondering the meaning of home. Please don't think that they aren't grateful that God has brought them safely back to family & friends. It's this weird mix of being happy to be reunited with family & friends but at the same time, realizing that they have left a huge part of their heart across the ocean.

They will be cold all the time. Tears may well up in their eyes a lot more frequently than they used to. They will have a hard time spending money. They may cry at the sight of the people or the sound of the language from the countries where they served. As they move back to college, they may take weeks to unpack because they are overwhelmed with how much "stuff" they have. They will desperately want to share stories from their summer, but may not know how to do so. They will sit in their classrooms but their minds will be in a place far away. Mundane tasks will seem meaningless. They will wonder if God can really use them here like He did over there. If He can really work in as big of ways here as He did there.
But, God. He heals the brokenhearted. He told us this wouldn't be easy. He wants us to share His story & our stories. He extends so much grace to us & wants us to do the same for others who may not understand. He says for everything there is a season. He has us here for the time being for a reason: to make disciples of ALL nations. He has brought the nations to our backyards. He sends us encouragers & people to encourage. He may even send us people from the same people groups that we worked with overseas.

For those welcoming these students back, please love them & show them a lot of grace. Sit down and ask to hear their stories & listen. Pray with them and for them as they navigate life back in the U.S. & as the Lord shows them next steps. Pray about how God wants to use you to serve the nations both here & overseas.

Ruined

Going overseas ruined me.

It ruined the way I eat soup...
I can no longer eat soup without slurping or at least not without a very concentrated effort not to.

It ruined the way I cross the street...
I sometimes walk out in front of cars expecting them to simply move around me.

It ruined the way I wave someone to "come here"...palms down always.

It ruined my ability to drink American coffee...kidding, my love of coffee is way too *strong* for that to ever happen, but I will forever think cà phê sữa đá is far superior to all other coffee.

It ruined the way I see the world...

It ruined me in a way that sometimes I miss being overseas so much it hurts.

It ruined me because I can no longer claim that I didn't know of suffering around the world...suffering of all kinds, but the most devastating one being eternal suffering.

It ruined me because I can no longer hear the fact that over 2 billion people still have little to no Gospel access without having a flood of images of the so many beautiful but lost people I met overseas play over and over in my mind.

It ruined my plans, hopes, and dreams...and I could not be more thankful.

I can't think of any other cause I'd rather be ruined for than the cause of Christ. Will it be costly? Absolutely, but so was the cross.

Lord, continue to ruin me for the advancement of Your Kingdom.

Matthew 16:24-25 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."