Isn't It Great?

"Isn't it great to be home?" is a question I have been asked by almost every person I have come in contact with over the last 9 days I've been in PA;  to which I always answer "Umm.... Yeah.. I guess it is." Now, don't get me wrong, I love my family, love my friends, and love my church and the people that are in it. However, imagine yourself leaving all of that for 6 months and going to a new place. A place that largely contrasts what you're used to. A place that you live at, work at, and spend literally 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at (getting off of that property about once a week for 3 hours.) The people you work with? When you leave your work day (teaching 4 year olds for 8 hours), you walk down to your room alongside those people you were just working with. You walk about 2/10 of a mile to your room, talking the whole way, unlock your doors at the same time (still talking), and then say "okay, see you in five minutes.." 

Next you walk up to 10 little houses that are half a mile up the hill with 100 smiling faces who yell "Miss/Mr (insert name here)!!!" You play soccer with them, basketball, volleyball, a card game like Dutch Blitz, watch a movie with them, eat dinner with them, and if you're lucky, have a really great, deep conversation. You then walk back down to your bedroom (still not leaving the property), shower (because it's really hot), sleep, wake up the next morning and do it all over agin. 

While living here, you meet new people.
People who are living there, doing the same exact thing as you, every.single.day. You have the same vision as them. The same belief system-- you've been called outside of your comfort zone (some more than others) to serve God in this foreign place-- but you've never been happier.Why? Because GOD CALLED YOU (2 Timothy 1:7). You felt this tug in your heart to do this thing you never thought you'd do. To move to this foreign place, with people you don't know, because you want to SERVE (Matthew 20:27-28). You want to serve God, and do what he has called you to do, which means waking up, teaching four year olds in English all day, spending time with those same kids for a few hours each night, go to bed, wake up and do it all over again the next day.
These kids who don't have a family? You have become a mother/father/sister/brother- like igure to them. They come running up to your classroom door everyday exclaiming "Miss/Mr_____, I got PINK/Purple/Blue!!!' (this means they had a great day at school). You then proceed to tell them how proud of them you are, and if they got pink maybe give them a lollipop.
After six months of this life, with people who have become your best friends, brothers/ sisters in Christ, your biggest encouragers, and these kids who have become incredibly close to your heart; you have to leave to return to your home to finish what you have been called to do next.

You then leave those smiling faces (who sometimes don't smile, get mad at you for "not coming to their house", and sometimes don't listen, but you love them anyway). You leave them to go back to the land of the free.. because of the brave.. the United States of America. The place with the beloved Chic Fil A, Wawa and Panera Bread....
You return to your 'home home,' which feels like a visit, because that place you just spent six months of your life in? that became your new home. You never thought you'd be the person to say that, but low and behold, you just did. You feel like you're living two different lives. You still have your friends that you left six months ago, but you made new friends. New friends who live in different states like Missouri, Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi and Texas, another friend in Michigan, South Carolina... You love your old friends, but if you're honest with yourself, you really, really miss your new friends, too. The friends you spent every waking moment with the last six months. You miss those sweet, smiling faces who gave you a reason to smile each and every day.

But, you wake up every morning, go to work, and return to your previous life as quickly as you left it. It might be hard, and you miss those faces, hearing your name yelled everyday, and just loving on those children while living with your best friends, but you do it. You do it, because you realize THIS is the place God has called you to right now. For whatever reason, you are supposed to be in _______(Quakertown, PA) right now. You recite Romans  12:12 to yourself frequently; to be JOYFUL in H O P E (that you WILL return to those kiddos)// PATIENT in affliction (It's hard to be away, but you'll be back!) //  and CONSTANT in PRAYER, (because this is where you're at, but you keep praying for God's plans to be revealed). This is the life God has called you to. It may not always be easy, but He has remained faithful thus far, and you're confident in His plan for your life! (Jeremiah 29:11).

My heart is still in Honduras, and that's okay. God called me home for many reasons, even if I don't know them yet. As of right now the goal and reason I came home is to finish school online. So yes, Honduras was amazing. It changed me in more ways than one. I know more of who I am and who God is calling me to be. It's hard everyday, but hey, I'm just that much closer to my return, right?

Do you understand now why it's hard to be back? I sure hope so.


So put yourself in my shoes. How would you answer the question, "Isn't it great?"