Re-entry?

It seems surreal -- I am sitting in my chair, watching some TV. My cat has curled up in my lap and is taking her nightly bath. I just finished a bowl of my favorite Blue Bell ice cream. Why is it surreal? Just a few hours ago I was eating panqueques, arroz con leche and piña at the Martinez home in Zone 12 in Guatemala City. It seems like a lifetime ago -- it seems like a dream but the still untouched suitcases in my living room are proof that I have just returned from somewhere.

It's been a long day. The flight from Guatemala City to Atlanta was followed by a rush to immigration where we waited -- and waited -- and waited. Mostly I waited. By the time I reached baggage claim, Annie, Maggie, Danielle and Jared had all the luggage and we were on the way to customs. From customs we dropped the luggage to be rechecked then the race was on to reach our gate -- and hopefully to find something to eat before boarding again for RDU. We didn't have much time and of course we were at the most remote gate possible in the terminal without the normal fast food choices. Jared was scheduled to take the next flight from ATL to RDU and his gate was not as far and had a better selection of food but he made the trip to our gate out in the boonies just to help us. We were all rewarded when Maggie suggested that they get Jared on the wait list for our plane -- and he got a seat! We had already said goodbye to Becky in Atlanta and had determined that we would wait to welcome Jared home but instead we made it together.

Maggie's sister was the first to break from the welcoming party. I think she missed her. Words tumbled over words -- we all have so much to share. All too soon it was time to part. The past 12 days have been a shared world but here we have our separate homes and lives. As we unpack our treasures won through bargaining and negotiating we will also unpack memories: cleaning the boys' home, touring the orphanage, driving through the river, freezing in the back of the pick up on the way home from the hot springs, bumping over rough roads in the back of the big truck, sharing Chick-fil-A cows with the people of Arenal -- have you actually stopped to think how funny it is that a cow wants people to eat chicken instead? The people of Arenal enjoyed the joke.

Altogether we have 1000's of pictures to share. Some of them will only make sense to those of us who were there. Others will tell a story anyone can understand. We have seen God at work in Guatemala. We have seen the enemy's desperate attempt to hold these precious people in pagan superstition. We have been forced to step outside our personal comfort zone for the sake of our team and the people we were privileged to serve. We have come home with a vision for ministry that goes beyond today. Whether we return to Guatemala ourselves or we become senders who support others who go we know first hand the needs of the people we have met.  We have made friendships that will last into eternity. We know we have been blessed beyond what we can ask or think.

Tomorrow is the first day back in our "real" worlds. My menagerie of cats and dogs have tired of welcoming me home (especially since I still won't let them share my ice cream or lick my empty bowl) and gone to sleep. I should probably do that too but I am not quite ready to admit I won't wake up in my little room behind the washer and dryer in Huehue. I don't want to forget my second homeland. I miss my friends who live there. I am grateful to be home with my girls, cats, dogs, Diet Coke, Blue Bell, Walmart, Bojangles -- but I am ready to take the next flight possible for Guatemala. God knows when that will be and I will rest in His will. Tomorrow I will unpack and begin to distribute the souvenirs I have brought home (way too many pounds for two suitcases but that is a story for another day). Tomorrow I will make plans to return to school and make my classroom ready for students. Tomorrow I will drive my car to Chick-fil-A (gotta do what the cows urge) and remember the laughs and smiles of children and adults alike who got their very own cow thanks to the generosity of a franchise owner. Tomorrow I will put all my pictures on my computer and relive the past three weeks I have spent in Guatemala. Tonight I will unplug the overly full answering machine that keeps beeping at me and sleep in my own bed grateful that God allowed me to to be blessed serving in Guatemala with Annie, Danielle, Maggie, Becky, Jared, Edwin, Gail, don Carlos, Douglas, Mary, Rosy and so many more,

En manos de la gracia!  In the hands of Grace.