I got back into the US of A on Dec. 18....and I love it. I wish I missed Ecuador. I wish it was hard to leave. I wish I was excited to continue to speak Spanish here, but I'm not.
I love America. I love English. I love conversations over coffee or beer (or coffee beer, thanks McCoy's). I love knowing what's going on. I love being comfortable. I know there is value in being uncomfortable, but for now, I'm back with family and friends.
I know I changed. I know that I won't really know all that the Lord has accomplished in me for quite some time, and I may never figure it out. I find myself with fewer words than before. Appreciating silence more, and not feeling that I have to carry a conversation. There's part of me that has realized that there are so many things that can develop if I just let them.
I knew coming back that people would want to know about my trip and when people ask me about my time I only have one word: Hard. It was hard learning the language, it was hard being uncomfortable, it was a hard experience. However, I never regretted my decision to go. I never said to myself that I made a bad decision. I knew that I was searching for adventure, and I found it in Ecuador.
Donald Miller wrote a book called, 'Through Painted Deserts' about his journey from Texas to Oregon. This is a quote that gives some purpose to my adventure:
"Everybody has to leave, everybody has to leave their home and come back so they can love it again for all new reasons."
I love being back.
