Ever changing

Sweet friends,

I'm sure no one is reading this blog anymore...being that its been ahem, almost a month since I've posted anything.  I have plenty of things swirling in my heart to say but finding time to sit down and sort through my thoughts has proven to be quite the challenge.  So I find myself here on a Thursday evening at almost midnight...and I feel the need to write.  So here it goes.

I can hardly believe I've been home for over a month now.  In some ways it seems like an eternity, in others it feel like I stepped off the plane yesterday.  It's been a good month, though.  Filled with ups and downs for sure...but good.  When I first got to China, someone told me, "Once you spend a significant amount of time in another country, you'll never at home anywhere again.  Wherever you are, you'll always be missing something about the other place."  I am beginning to feel the weight of that statement full force. Since school began, my days have been jam packed with classes, work, homework, meeting up with old friends, meeting up with new friends, extra curriculars, etc. It's been quite a challenge going from my leisurely life in China back to the hustle and bustle of the college scene.  I find myself thinking about daily life in China less and less...and that makes me incredibly sad.  I know its normal.  But I don't want to forget one moment...one little laugh...one hard day...one toothless grin.  I want to remember.  I prayed before I left that God would help me to remember.  And He has a sweet way of bringing little reminders into my life.  What I'm wrestling with this moment is:  What now?  I'm sure you've all felt it.  If you've ever had a touching experience, you know exactly what I'm talking about.  How do I take everything that I learned over the past 6 months and apply it to my life now?  How do I speak louder, advocate harder, and pray more fervently?  How do I serve HIM here and now...when I can't walk across the hall and pick up a baby and instantly feel needed and fulfilled. While in China, I often mulled over a quote by Jim Elliot that says, "Wherever you are, be all there."  I want to be all here...because for such a time as this, we are all where we are.  And we are there for eternal purposes.  I may not be holding babies and wiping noses...but I am striving to love well, encourage other believers, and pursue friendships with non believers...these things have eternal purposes, my friends.  They do.

Please be encouraged! Our sweet Savior has eternal tasks for you today.  He has words for you to speak, people for you to love, and prayers for you to send His way.  And each moment spent in His presence is a glorious moment indeed...whether or not you feel profoundly useful.