It feels like we've been traveling for months, although in reality in has only been about five weeks since we left MO. We finally arrived in our destiny city late last night.
We really enjoyed the week of
continued education in a nearby country with friends. The following
week, we spent visiting the consulate and getting shots. We rounded out
our time there with bed bug bites, a bee sting for B, and ringworm for
S, so even though I was hesitant to return to our country, we were all
ready to move on.
We had a little bit of trouble with our paperwork as we tried to board the plane. I was secretly hoping they wouldn't let us in. Then we could shrug our shoulders and say, "we tried." We would mumble something about it not being meant to be and return to America with our heads held high. I know that's not what I was supposed to be feeling on the eve of our grand return, but it's the truth, plain and simple.
We
went through immigration seamlessly and my heart sank a little. You
might hear this as a question of our calling, but it's not. You might
wonder if we were really, truly lead here, and we were. It's just that
laying your life down hurts. Parting with pieces of your identity is
painful. Being illiterate is brutal. Being stared at constantly is
miserable. Being told you're not parenting correctly while other
people's children pee on the sidewalk unnoticed is the pits. It's noisy
and dirty and crowded and expensive and miserable in the summer and
freezing in the winter and our hotel room smells like sewage and I miss
my mom. every. single. day.
J tells me that's why we're here. That His heart is for the dirty and the hurting and the hopeless and the lost.
And I know that.
And really, there's no where else I'd rather be. I just wish that here wasn't quite so stinky, literally. :)So today we're looking for an apartment. It's super overwhelming. There are limitless options in this city of 8 million people. We'd like to stick to a particular section of the city to be near J's language school and a few other strategic resources. Please be asking that He would provide the right place for us, a place that would be a haven for our family and a center for his work. Thanks!