may he bring you home rejoicing

Part 1:

Goodbyes are really hard. Change is also really hard. Like you didn't know that already. My amazing roommate from last semester blogged about goodbyes the other day and it really struck a chord with me. About a week ago, our Kenyan family had to say "see ya later" to Hannah. Hannah only stayed in Kenya for about 8 weeks because she is student teaching and has to complete the rest of her 10 weeks in the States. I had no clue how quickly we would all become so close and how hard it would be to say goodbye.

Since being here, Hannah has been someone who I have really looked up to as a role model. Especially since she is another fellow education major. We have shared conversations about our futures, and had our share of  "girl talk." Hanging out with Hannah is always a blast. She has a way of being silly and serious at the same time. Her contagious smile and warm spirit truly shines from within. It is easy to say that she is already missed by her family here at Daystar. She is also surely missed at Mulandi Primary school where she student taught and is better known as "Teacha Annah."

One of the people in our group pointed out that we spend more time with each other than we do with our real families or friends back home. For instance, how many people eat 3 meals a day with the same people every day, stay in the same rooms, and hangout every weekend? OK, maybe husbands and wives. Haha! These are the people I share everything with. My joys, fears, failures, hopes, dreams, clothes, toilet paper...you get the picture. We are about as family as family gets. When the time came for Hannah to actually leave, I couldn't help but cry. I cried because I was sad to see her go. Excited to see what the future holds for her. Jealous that she gets to see her family and friends. Guilty that I get to stay and continue this exciting journey. And most of all overwhelmed knowing that soon, I too, will have to say goodbye to this place that I love and the people who I've shared it with.

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness; protect you through the storm; may he bring you home rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you; may he bring you home rejoicing, once again into our doors.

Part 2:

My roommate also said in her blog, "the feeling of being 'home' is constantly changing..." My view of the word "home" has drastically changed since being here in Kenya. People say that 'home is where the heart is'. My heart is in a lot of different places though. To be honest, I thought the only place I was ever interested in teaching or traveling was Africa. Now, I have noticed how much I love getting to know a new place and how much I love the excitement that comes with change. With this new found love of travel, I have decided that I also want to backpack in Europe, visit South Korea, Canada, China, Sicily, France, and Ireland, see the Northern Lights, and swim in the Dead Sea. The list could go on and on.

Now what does that have to do with "the feeling of being home?" Well, I thought that being in Kenya would give me clarity about where I am supposed to go in life. I thought that I would either clearly feel at home in Africa, or at home in America. I feel at home in both places. Not one place will ever feel exactly like "home." My heart is in too many places at once. As I hopefully continue to travel, I'm sure I will find many other places that capture my heart as well.

Although this can be frustrating for me (because it leaves my future as such an open book and I am quite the planner), I am glad that I do not feel at home in any one specific place in this world. I am confident that I will have peace throughout my life knowing that I am exactly where God wants me to be for the time being, but this earth is not my home. Philippians 3:20.

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness; protect you through the storm; may he bring you home rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you; may he bring you home rejoicing, once again into our doors.