Home!!!

Despite previous airport adventures, this trip was long but rather uneventful. All my flights were on time, my bags arrived without any damage, I arrived without any damage, and things went scarily smoothly.

We left Cotonou, Benin around 10:30pm on the 2nd of Nov., arriving in Paris on the morning of the 3rd Nov. It was cold and rainy and the airport was rather drafty. Seeing as I hadn't gotten much sleep over the previous 24 hours, I wrapped up in a flannel travel blanket I had, used my backpack as a pillow and slept off-and-on for the next few hours. I did move from laying on the floor to laying across a few empty seats, eventually, because of the draft, which only slightly helped. Our flight from Paris to Atlanta was very long. We flew northwest across the English channel towards the southern tip of England; then further up and northwest, coming close to the southern tip of Greenland; then to the northern tip of Canada and followed the coast down to Atlanta. It was really cloudy so I didn't get to see any of those interesting places from the air, and though it was probably the safest way to fly (almost always somewhere to land the plane) it made for a very, very long flight. The neat thing about AirFrance, though, is that they have personal tv screens for each passenger in the seat in front of them! They have a wide variety of movies or tv series to watch, games to play, music, news, and other things! I got to catch up on several movies I didn't get to see before I left! I especially liked "Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs!" Hysterical!!!

Anyhow, landing in Atlanta, I had enough time to make it through immigration into the U.S. and get to my gate with time to sip some hot tea before flying to Pittsburgh. The tea was good but, I discovered, decaffeinated!!! Aaaahhhhh!!! I did a lot of head bobbing and snoozing after boarding and as the plane took off, but found that it was enough to make me sociable for the rest of the flight! We landed in Pittsburgh a little earlier than expected. As I made my way down to the baggage claim, I figured it would be really crowded and difficult to find my bags. But when I got down there, there was no one there and my bags were some of the few on the carousel! I guess most of my co-passengers had connecting flights! So I grabbed my bags, met my family out front and we were off. We got home just before midnight on the 3rd of Nov.

The last few days have been spent catching up on mail, a little shopping, unpacking, SLEEPING(!!!!), visiting a few friends and family members, handing out the gifts I had purchased, and otherwise adjusting to being back in my life! I am glad to be home but miss my friends still on board the ship. And though my body is home, my brain is still on the ship's schedule! The first morning, I was awake at 8:30am. Surprised, my mom told me that she thought I'd sleep until noon, considering we got in so late. "It is noon." I replied! (LOL! My internal clock is still on African time!) Aside from that, I am adjusting fairly well.

I have not really had much further direction as far as what I am to do now. So, knowing that God can change my plans at anytime, I contacted my home health care agency and told them that I'd be available for some part time hours--just picking up "as needed" hours. Since I came back with a farewell present from the ship (a head cold that we've been passing around for the last few months) and with all of the concern about Swine Flu, I will not need to start work for another week or more yet. God is so good in ways that I don't deserve! Coming home has been really relaxing without feeling like I need to jump into a whirlwind schedule. It's been easy, lots of time for catching up on things, and just very....therapeutic! A vacation after the vacation! But beyond the job and the missions conference next week, I have no idea what I'm doing! But I know God's working and that's enough for me. I'm enjoying today.

Here in northwestern Pennsylvania, it is beautiful fall weather--bright blue sky with warm sunshine and cool crisp air, grass still green but leaves brown and gathering on the ground, the preparations for winter beginning but not rushed, and a relaxing Saturday afternoon promised! It's good to be home today!

You know, I'm finding something true that I've always known is true but needed reminded about. God is still the same God here at home as He was to me in Africa. The distractions may be different but God isn't. And it's still my relationship to Him that counts most of all. I find that I can wait patiently (for the most part) because "I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I've committed unto Him against that day." (2 Timothy 1:12) My God is big enough to handle anything. I just need to trust, obey, and enjoy today for the things He has for me today. I think of the words of one of my favorite children's songs:

"My God is so BIG! So strong and so mighty there's nothing my God can not do...FOR YOU! My God is so BIG! So strong and so mighty there's nothing my God can not do...FOR YOU! The mountains are His. The valleys are His. The stars are His handiwork, too. My God is so BIG! So strong and so mighty there's nothing my God can not do...FOR YOU!"

Final Hours....

Thank you to all of you who responded to me! It's been fun hearing who all reads this blog.

So it's now November 2nd already and the time for my flight out is less than 12 hours away. In many ways, I feel sad to leave the friends I've made here and the work I've been doing but I am ready. God knows that I plan 6 months ahead of time to be spontaneous (most of the time, anyway!) so big changes don't go over so well with me unless they're brought on gradually. However, God in His wisdom knows exactly how He has made me and prepares me in so many small ways for what He's bringing next. He starts working long before I ever have the haziest glimpse of what's intended, setting little things in my path or bringing me into contact with certain people for reasons known only to Him. And that's okay. I know that He'll show me the whole picture when He's ready.

In the same way He prepared me to come, He's prepared me to leave. Alas, my heart is not for Africa, though I have enjoyed my adventures here. God has another place for me. This has been a little frustrating to try to communicate to my African friends, however! One told me that I needed to fast and pray for three days so that I would know God wanted me to stay here! Another told me that she did not believe that God would take me away from Africa (...and her brother!!!LOL!) and that she is praying God will give me a different answer! I told her, "By all means! Pray!" God is just as capable of making His will known to her as He has to me. I keep an open mind...I would not say "never" with Africa but for now, God has definitely not placed it in my heart. So what next?

Honestly....I have no idea! That's a fun place to start, huh? I have tentatively made some plans to return to picking up a few hours here and there for the home healthcare agency I work for--picking up "as needed" or PRN hours for different families. My sister has graciously had my apartment and bills while I've been playing sailor so I will head back home to that. I will probably start looking for a "real" job after Christmas. Also, several of my friends from Mercy Ships and I will be attending a large medical missions conference in Louisville, Kentucky about 1-1/2 weeks after I get home--we'll rent a cabin at a campsite together and just get to hang out, be girls, go to the conference, and have fun! I'm looking forward to that! After that comes American Thanksgiving then Christmas activities start. I don't think I'll be too bored!!! All that said, my plans are very tentative only because I need to be thinking ahead a little but God has not yet told me what He's got in mind. I know it will be different in some way from what I was doing before but that's about as much as I know! So for now...my plans are to get on a plane headed for Paris and then Atlanta and then Pittsburgh and VERY cold temperatures!!!

We decided that hot weather is not so oppressive if you don't know the exact temperature. This past week has started to get very, very hot--a dry hot but still very, very hot! (A "dry hot"--as in, low humidity though you can still just about wring out your clothes after a few hours outside!) But without a thermometer to glance at all the time, you really have no idea how warm it truly is; therefore, your mind can't keep reminding you how hot you ought to be! That said, I'm hoping that NOT knowing the temperatures back home will prevent me from feeling so cold, though I do know that there have been rumors of snow! I'll have to let you know if that theory works or not! ...You never know, I may have everybody throwing away their thermometers before you know it! But I can't really claim full credit for such a theory--my sister-in-law has a similar theory for clocks and how late you get to sleep...you know, feels like longer if you don't see what time the clock says before you finally get around to going to sleep! I agree. Sometimes ignorance IS bliss!

Well, I have some more work and packing to do and a few more good-byes to say before I leave! I will talk to you next from Stateside and let you know what kind of adventures I had in my travels. Airport, airplanes, and I generally make for a very interesting combination!