Bittersweet

I am back in Oxford!! It feels like home and I slept in a bed that I know is clean (!!!) for the first time in about 7 weeks! There's something about coming back to a place you've lived, and just feeling the comfort of familiarity. I even felt it a bit in Laos, when we returned to Luang Prabang and Vientiane and stayed in the same guesthouses. I think it's a feeling you can get anywhere.

I'm learning home is more about community than location. When you're with people you know and trust and spend time with, you're home. That's what makes you miss certain places; the people that are there, or that you associate with the place. Here was my fellow students, Laos is my team and all the people we met, CT is my family and the people I've grown up with. Laos was home for a long time, no matter where we went. I have a family of 6 that have grown close to my heart and have seen some of the biggest growth in my own life. I have one brother who is still in Asia and the last thing he said to me was 'I'll see you again!' I know I'll have a home in Laos/Thailand again, my Father's spoken so much to my heart about that and I can't wait to see what that family will look like!

As happy as I am to be back, and excited to go home in March, a big part of my heart was left in Laos and Thailand. I'm learning to be back and live in western-ish culture and it's good. I can't wait to share stories with everyone and see familiar faces back in the US of A. If you keep checking up, I'll probably post some stories, or at least a basic something about what we did on outreach. If I didn't send you a letter before I left, email me your address and I will be sure to send you an update letter!

Thanks so much for all your prayers!! My team and I were so incredibly blessed. God is good!