safely Stateside and thinking about the world...

After 3 flights (one of which was cancelled and rescheduled 3 hours later), a two hour drive in a rental car, 5 short hours in a hotel and 2 days, we are safely in Columbus, and have already had a dentist appointment and Lily's 2,3,4 and 5 month check-ups and vaccinations.  Lily did SO well traveling, all of these photos taken from one flight or another.  She loved listening to headphones, reading her favorite book, and talking to just about everyone else on the planes.  

We are so thankful to have safely arrived, and have already had a great few moments with grandpa and on the phone with loved ones!

Sunday, we'll be at Livingston UMC (Columbus Ohio) in the morning and Faith Assembly (London Ohio) and plan on finishing laundry, unpacking, and enjoying a change of scenery, food and family for a few days!  

Meanwhile, we are kind of surprised to find ourselves feeling a bit differently this trip than previously.  The first time I went on a missions trip (senior year, high school, Dominican Republic), I came back just floored for the first time by just HOW MUCH we had.  The nice cars, full grocery stories, $200 purses, hospitals, schools, movie theaters...all of it just overwhelmed me by how MUCH 'we' had and had little 'they' had.  I felt sick by it all, so sorry for 'them' and so almost ashamed by 'us.'  

With each following trip, I've had varying insights and perspectives of these disparities, but this trip home, I think I have finally (and accidentally!) drawn closer to HIS mindset.  

As we were driving from Fort Pierce Florida to Fort Lauderdale, whizzing down the 4 lane high way with Frostys in hand, the air conditioner blowing, looking out at the sparkling and humungous city, we sighed deeply, and surprisingly both felt deeply burdened.  

Yeah, the people we were passing had A LOT more stuff than the people we passed that very morning entering down-town Cap-Haitien.  But the smooth highways, nice cars and designer sunglasses couldn't hide the reality we were feeling:  people here, people there, people with homes, people without homes, people with lots of food, people with no food:  they're all lost, and THAT is sad.  More than sad...We have this amazing God whose very children have not only fallen away from Him, but reject Him, flee from Him, live far away from Him.  

As new parents, we just CANNOT imagine the depth of heartbreak we would experience if Lily one day grew up and rejected us, wouldn't speak to us, hated us, didn't talk to us, wanted to live far from us and from everything we had for her.  And whizzing down the freeway, we passed SO MANY lost people who live just like that!  

For the first time coming back to the States, we didn't feel sad at all by how much "stuff" we saw and have compared to how much "stuff" our friends and family in Haiti have.   STUFF it all is!  

We felt deeply sad, instead, for the world.  For all of the people who have run from, never met or turned their backs on the Father.  For the many many many who are living short of the "abundant life" He offers....not the abundantly stuffed kind, or abundantly wealthy, or abundantly healthy, abundantly blessed or abundantly happy kind, but the kind that is abundantly full of HIM.

We realized that we have A LOT of work to do!  Whether in Haiti or in the States, we are happily and gratefully His children: and so we are missionaries...and always will be.