Welcome Home

      Im back in the USA and its never been so much work to fit back into my own culture. I am so glad to be home and have found much needed rest and time with friends and family. My jet lag is slightly annoying and I cant wait to be over it, I actually looked up the negatives of jet lag and learned that depending on the hours of time change you experience, that is how many days you need to give yourself to readjust. That means that I won't start to feel normal again for 9 days! I am currently on day 6 so things are starting to get better thankfully.

I have been keeping a list of the things that have been shocking to me, or things that have caught my attention but never seemed to matter before. Right when we got off the plane my team wanted to get their first Starbucks in 2 months so we were in line and by the time I got up to the front I saw these apples for sale by the cash register, they were gigantic and individually plastic wrapped. America is big on size as well as cleanliness and the rest of the world is just not on that level. That was my first shock. Apples aren't supposed to be that big, its the size of a whole meal, why does it need to be individually wrapped, what a waste of plastic....etc. It was an interesting experience and I had only been in America for two minutes.

I had to buy myself lunch for the plane since I had been traveling for more that 30 hours and they weren't serving food on our domestic flight to San Diego, so I got in line at a fast food mexican restaurant. I knew what I wanted, and when I made it to the front of the line the pace at which the workers were moving and talking to me was overwhelming and I felt like I could state my order fast enough to please her. Then she asked me what dressing I wanted and I didn't see that I needed to have a choice prepared beforehand so I took my time to look at the long list of options and she just ended up picking one for me and sending me on my way because I was slowing down her line. Lets just say I got back to my terminal a but flustered.

Many other things around town have stood out to me since I have been home like the quality of toilet paper, the nice cars that EVERYONE drives, so many choices, so many stores, its all a but overwhelming. Life is so easy here yet everyone finds something to complain about. People think that people in Africa are poor and feel sorry for them because they don't have all of the material possessions that Americans do, but the thing that they are missing is relational value. Africans have such a rich culture with a heavy importance on family and relationships. They are rich in the sense of having true relationships and fellowship, material possessions would simply be a distraction. Possessions are all most of us have here, family time is of no importance. In a home with multiple family members everyone gets their own food and then goes to their own rooms to spend time on their computers or watching their T.V.s. Now I know that not everyone is like this but it is something that really stood out to me. Where, how, and with who we spend our time is what makes us rich.

I am back at home in LA now resting up before I move semi permanently back to San Diego. I am currently looking for a job in San Diego and getting prepared for the move. I don'd know what the future holds for me but I know that I am on Gods plan and not my own. He will direct me toward what work He needs done in San Diego and I will follow His direction. Please keep me and my team in your prayers and we readjust, and try to translate all we have learned into our lives here. Thank you so much for your continued love and support.