A Rambling Farewell

I'm done packing. As I've been browsing on the web this morning, I thought it might be a good time to blog a farewell to East Timor. I wasn't planning on blogging this morning so, as the title says, it's probably going to be a bit of a ramble.

I've been here in Timor for nine and a half months. Today I fly to Singapore with the little boy I've come to treat more as a little brother and his father. We're going to stay there for two days so I can see what Singapore is like. Then we part ways; they go to Portugal and I head to Korea, and then finally the U.S.A.

It's hard to explain what I'm really feeling right now. Excited? Yeah. Strange? Yes, very much. After being in a third-world country for this long, it's going to be strange living in the States again. People here have tried to explain to me what it's like and help prepare me, which I'm thankful for. I'm also thankful that I'll be in Korea for a little while with friends. Hopefully that time will help me to adjust a little.

I'm going to miss some things from Timor (the heat and humidity is NOT one of them).

I'm going to miss the smallness and closeness of the church here.
I'm going to miss my Portuguese family. They've treated me as their daughter instead of their employee, which has been a mammoth blessing to me. Yes, there have been times where I really wanted to smack my student, but I've come to love him like a little brother.
I'm going to miss those little sea-side restaurants where I can get a fresh lychee juice and lebanese bread to dip in garlic paste and hummus.
I'm going to miss the freshness, variety, and adventure I've been able to experience here in Timor through the people I've been able to meet and just the experience.

I feel like I've just made a million dollar deposit in the bank of life experiences.

It's really been a good year. It's been one of the best things I've ever done. I've learned and grown so much, it makes the hard times completely worth it.

However, I'm so excited to see my family. I'm excited to be able to hang out with my little brother, sister, and nephew. I'm excited to drive on roads that have no pot holes. I'm excited to be able to walk to the park. I'm excited to go running in the morning by myself. I'm excited to go to Taco bell. I'm excited to be able to drive up to the mountains. I'm excited to be in a place where the humidity is very low. I'm excited to be with people I already know and don't have to go through the whole process of getting to know them. I'm excited to not be the stranger or foreigner anymore.

But it's also strange. I just hope I don't forget the things I've felt, seen, and heard. I hope that I can utilize the tools I've collected here and use them to bless others. It's just going to be strange. Life is so different in the States. There's so much...stuff. While I've been here, life has had more of a focus on things that matter: my relationships with others, helping out in the church. There's not much to do here in Dili, so you really just hang out with your friends a lot. It's good though. I think that in the N. America, we sometimes get focused on the stuff, the things that don't matter. We forget to nurture those relationships God has blessed us with. We try to squeeze them in between all our other things to do. This is something I hope to take with me back to the States. I want to make the most of my family and friends and stay focused on what matters in life.

I also hope that I can live my life always keeping a bigger picture of what the world is like in mind. I feel like I've seen a different side of the world that I wouldn't have glimpsed had I never left the U.S. I pray I don't forget this side of the world.

Yeah, there's a lot to process and think about. It's so strange. And I still have to say goodbye to my Portugeuse family (that's going to be hard).

But I know God has lead me this far. Psalms 146:9 says, "The LORD preserveth the strangers..." I know God has preserved me this year and He will continue to lead and guide me throughout the rest of this journey. I don't have everything mapped out. But that's OK. I know He does. So, as I close this chapter called "East Timor," I'm excited to start the new one and see what God has planned.

This picture of me was taken by my amazing friend and photographer, Ruth Grilo. You can see her work here at www.whitesharkrunner.blogspot.com
I love you, Ruth! I'm going to miss you guys!