Stateside Again & Re-Entry

As of today, I have been back in the states for almost two weeks. It has been a crazy two weeks, that's for sure! Thank you so much for all of you who are already (and still) praying for me and keeping me in your thoughts, as I need them for my upcoming major student teaching assignments. In the mean time, let's talk about re-entry shock.

The number one thing that has frustrated me about re-entry (i.e. returning back to the states) is this question:

So, how was China?!?

I want to be gracious and understanding towards people who inadvertently ask me this question. At least they're asking, right? On the other hand, having to find a way to answer this tactfully makes me feel as if the person asking doesn't really care about my experience. I have to determine how much to share with them, how much to entrust them with.

Let me clear up a couple things: It's Thailand. Chiang Mai, Thailand. And it is. Not was. The country hasn't fallen off the edge of the earth. And it is not just a country, it's a culture. A way of life. It's people with goals for the future and a rich heritage in their past. It's where half of my heart lives. Sixty-six beloved teenagers and a host of colleagues and friends whom I love call Chiang Mai home, at least for a time. God was working there before I went and He is working there still. He is working in the lives of missionary kids whose families are stationed there and He is using them to show love to his Thai, Hmong, Lao, Karen, Lisu, Lahu, and expatriate children, as well as those who live in various other Southeast Asian countries. Chiang Mai is just a three hour plane flight from roughly one third of the world's population. It is not only a relatively safe location for international workers, but also a hub of many missions organizations. So much is (not was) happening in a place as seemingly dark as Asia.

My overseas student teaching experience is technically over, with just paperwork to complete before I can graduate, but God's work in Chiang Mai, Thailand is not. My encouragement to people asking is to make the was question about the trip and the is question about the country, people, and work God is doing. The trip is over, but the country and God's work there, the people, memories, desires, cravings for local food, and relationships are not.

At this point in the re-entry process, I am reflecting on this experience and learning from it as I compile everything I did during student teaching into a portfolio that demonstrates what I have learned about teaching. Processing the past three and a half months have been difficult, but rewarding, and I am so blessed to have enjoyed that time in Chiang Mai.

Trying to give and receive plenty of grace during the re-entry process,
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"Seek Him. Be Here. Be His."