esperanza: July 2012

I'm home! I've been in the States for about three weeks and it has been just what my soul needed. To be honest, by the beginning of June I was plain exhausted and needed a break at home more than I knew. Day in and day out of speaking/thinking/teaching in Spanish and living life in a culture not my own had left me drained.

Emilee and I made the trek across the country to catch our flight back to America which was nothing less than complicated an adventure. From waking up early and finding that we had no water to shower... to blow-drying my only pair of jeans that hadn't dried hoping they would be dry enough to wear.. to dragging our suitcases down dirt roads and lugging them across streams of water at every intersection... to arriving at the bus stop only to find out that they couldn't sell us tickets because the printer wasn't working... to boarding the bus at the last possible second and it pulling away before we even sat down. Five hours later we arrived in the capital and were blessed by a friend who picked us up at the bus stop, treated us to lunch, and got us to the airport in time for our flight.

We arrived in Miami, cold and tired, but grateful that we made it. All I know is that I could feel your prayers that day. Though many things seemed against us, we also had a friend who came out of his way to a bus stop to give us one last hug... and our water came on just in time for us to quickly shower and run out the door.. and another friend bought us coffee at the airport just before we went through security. In the Miami airport, I found out that my Papaw had passed away while I was flying home. I wasn't sure I would be able to take spending the night on the airport floor when all I wanted to do was get home as fast as I could. But even that night I was overwhelmed by the love of strangers as a big group of teenagers gave Emilee and I some chocolate pie. We then met a man who gave us ten dollars for coffee after using Em's computer to check an email. God is so faithful. I miss my Papaw a lot and am so thankful that I'm able to be here right now with my family.

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I was also blessed with a trip to the west coast to see my sisters. It had been too long since I had seen them and been able to spend time with them. It was a week and a half full of laughs and tears, of catching up on the past year(s) and telling stories from years ago, of hanging out at the beach and decorating a new home, of meeting a new brother (Erin's husband!) for the first time and seeing Erin after three years of us living overseas, of a 4th of July cookout and watching fireworks from the roof, but mostly a week and a half full of love and life and the Lord's goodness. So blessed.

I'll be in the States for two and half more weeks, before heading back to my other home in the Dominican Republic. I couldn't be more excited to head back, feeling renewed by the Lord and refreshed by time with family and friends. Please let me know if you would like to receive an update letter about last year and next year in the Dominican!

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