October 12, 2008

Greer Church Visit

This morning, we visited the Greer Church of God of Prophecy. We had a wonderful Sunday School lesson about the conversion of Saul/Paul, which reminded me of the weeks (months?) I was asking God for a blinding light or at least a loud voice to tell us what to do about this burning in our hearts for missions.

Ken said something in his part of the presentation that made a lot of sense to me. I always have had a TERRIBLE time coming home from past mission trips. I am excited to get back to my family, but the debriefing period, so to speak, is very hard for me. I don't adjust well to getting back to "normal life."

Instead, I tend to be very restless, waking up throughout the night for weeks. I'm confused when I awaken, sometimes walking around the house trying to figure out where I am. Ken has a terrible time convincing me that I'm home again, and even when I hear and comprehend the words, I can't fully grasp the idea that home means Greenville, SC, USA. My dreams are in Spanish for weeks after I return. I talk in my sleep in Spanish. I get very overwhelmed and overstimulated by trips to large stores, like Wal-Mart or Bi-Lo. All the "stuff" disgusts me.

He very briefly described that this morning, commenting that we have to go through a period similar to what we'd think detox would be like, each time we return. The strange thing is, I haven't experienced those things IN South America. You'd think that'd be where the adjustment is, with confusion or frustration occuring when we're out of our comfort zone. I think God readjusted our comfort zones a while back, though, to fit His plan for us.

Back to Greer--we had a great visit. The people were very generous and encouraging, and we enjoyed a family dinner afterward (Ken's uncle Larry and his family are Greer folks). We were excited to find out that they have just started broadcasting their services over the internet, so we'll be able to get a slice of home from Paraguay. Thanks, Bro. Johnson and the Greer congregation, for hosting us and further confirming God's hand in our upcoming move.

1 comment:

  1. Wow, I hate we missed it! You're gettin' there! Just a few short weeks til you're "home"! See ya soon!

    ReplyDelete

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