Coming Home

Goodness, I have SO much to fill you in on since my last update.

First off, right before we all left for Christmas break, we got to be part of the school's annual Christmas Fair. Honestly, I can't even explain to you how great it was. I am honored to be at a school where I get to see my kids outside of the school day. There are just so many opportunities to bond with them without being in the classroom. Plus, it was a great way to celebrate all the accomplishments thus far this year and spend time with my new friends here.

Then, finally, the big moment came. I stepped foot back onto American ground! In typical fashion of all my airport experiences, my first plane took off late and then I ended up having to change my plans, but my family is great and when I landed 10 hours later in St. Louis, my parents and my grandma were there to greet me. It was a great feeling. Not to mention the Subway sandwich and Mcdonald's sweet tea they brought me!

I can't believe how much I packed into those two weeks of being home! Getting to catch up with so many friends and just be in the presence of my family, I could not have asked for more. We had the funeral services for my grandpa Charlie while I was home, too, which was a huge deal for me. I'm so thankful it worked out the way it did and I was able to get some closure with him being gone. It was extremely weird to be at my grandparents' house and only have my grandma there, but it also was really good for me to finally face the reality of life back home.

I never realized how much I could really love my family until it came time to leave. The second time. That was harder. Much harder than I expected it to be. Man, I think I'm still trying to adapt fully back into my life here in Honduras. It also solidified that this is where I am supposed to be right now. As hard as it is, I know this is where God is going to continue to grow me the most in this season.

The crazy winter storm certainly put a damper in my plans, though. What started out as a girls night in St. Louis turned into me being quickly dropped off the night before my early morning flight so my friends could beat the storm back home. That was extremely hard for me. I've discovered that I don't do well with new plans, especially when they have to do with me being by myself to figure them out. Anyway, after getting to the airport bright and early and checking in and what not, we literally had been on the plane for 2 minutes when they de-planed us because of the terrible weather conditions. To make a long story short, my flight to Honduras got rebooked to five days later than expected. The crappy part was that the weather was still too bad at home and was going to get bad again in St. Louis, so it made sense to just stay there. Now, don't get me wrong, I love hotels and everything, but not for 5 days. Nor can I afford a five day hotel stay. However, because God is just that good, He provided me a place to stay: with some really great friends from my old church. Just so happens they live 30 minutes away from the airport! Another long story short, my friend, June, and her family, took me in for 4 days and let me be another member of the family. I will never fully be able to express how much that time meant to me, and just the simple gesture of reaching out and being the hands and feet of Christ. Not only that, but it was SO nice getting to catch up with old friends!

Anyway, they dropped me back at my hotel the night before my new flight and I ended up making it back to school (because of getting a ride with yet ANOTHER great friend) in time to see some of my kids before they went home for the weekend! It's been so good to be back. I think the thing I learned most of all is that I now have two homes. Not only that, but it's okay to have more than one place you call home. I always considered Illinois my home. I soon realized, though, from being home in Illinois, that every time I mentioned Honduras, I always called it home, too. It reminds me of one of my favorite movie quotes: "It's okay to have roots and wings." I couldn't agree more. As much as I love all the people back home in Illinois, I love the people here, too. For that, I'm happy to call this place home as well.

Looking forward to another 6 months of teaching and being taught. I'm also looking forward to stepping out of my comfort zone more this semester. Last weekend was my first real adventure I've had since September. I finally got to have some tilapia at the lake! And I got my first bus riding experience! AND I even ate a fish eye! Oh, and did I mention two of my best friends are coming to visit me over spring break? Yup, I'd say 2014 is looking pretty darn amazing. :)