The Last Two Weeks of Expedition

I have wanted to write a post for awhile -- two weeks in fact. 

But life has been full. My mind has been everywhere, and in the empty space of my schedule and the quiet moments of the day, my brain couldn't make articulate thoughts or semi-eloquent sentences. So I haven't written. And this post won't actually share much. My mind is still in that space. 

I move home in two days. That's right: two days. I still don't understand that. 

But here's a little glimpse of my past two weeks and the things that I will write about later.

We went to Ukraine on our way to Israel. There is hope, but there is also pain.

We learned more about the relationship between Israel and Palestine.

We saw places.

We saw so many places. I learned that it's okay to stay back from viewing more places so that I can give my brain a rest and enjoy other things like art and silence.

We swam floated in the Dead Sea.

We followed the route of Jesus.

We passed too many tacky Jesus souvenirs.

We found more than one fake Starbucks.

My teammates took the interest and time to learn how to play pinochle (the game of my family).

We laughed. We ate more hummus, falafel, and pita than I care to mention. We reflected on the good things God has done this year.

And we prepared to return home.

I am so excited to return home. I am thankful that others are reminding me that they are also excited for my return. I have been waiting for hugs, coffee dates, stories, Bible study, church, family game days, and more for so long.  

But I am also hesitant to return home. I have practiced responding to the dreaded question, "How was your trip?" over and over again. But I know answering in person will be difficult. I know people's reactions will not always meet my expectations. I know that some people won't know how to handle how I've changed; I won't know how to handle how they have changed either. I know it will be hard to not see my teammates on a daily basis. I know it will be hard to "settle down" into South Dakota without a ticket out to explore the world.

That sounds so unhappy. I'm not unhappy. I am truly excited. There are lots of good things coming up. There are just lots of different good things coming to a close. 

I'm excited to see some of you soon. I am excited to answer your questions and tell you stories about God's goodness. I'm excited to hear how you've seen his goodness too.

I'm excited to explain more about the pictures above and others. I'm excited to write more about the past two weeks in future posts.

But for now, I'm going to head out with my teammates for our last night in Israel where we will attempt to find great food (probably including even more hummus) and marvel at the Festival of Light in Jerusalem.

See you soon, America. It'll be strange and a little difficult but still very good.