Arrival

We arrived in St. Louis this morning. I was unusually aware of the quiet in my mother-in-law's house. The stillness and tranquility seem strange, after living three months in an apartment where the sounds from the streets and neighbors' houses permeated our private space. Bill said that the quiet is nice!

We are glad to report relatively smooth flights, though they were still a little rough on Bill, who has issues with motion sickness. It did not help that the sherut driver that took us from Jerusalem to Ben Gurion Airport drove like a crazy man, so the trip began with unwanted excitement.

This is our second return from an extended overseas stay. When we got back from Jordan, I was in reverse culture shock for several days. I was a little more prepared for it this time, plus the Israel/America differences are not as striking as the Jordan/America differences. In Israel, Bill did not have to watch for camels and sheep and donkeys crossing the road while he was driving, just pedestrians. But still, adapting to living in a foreign country demands that we condition ourselves to our surroundings. We must mentally adjust to the culture. Then, when we return to the States, we must readjust to life here. It sounds crazy, but going from two different worlds in a matter of hours is a little challenging.

Last night, our flight plan took us over Prague. I watched as we drew close and looked down upon the lights of the city, thinking of our friends Scott and Suzi, who were somewhere below us at that moment. They too are concluding a three month appointment, though their assignment took them to the Czech Republic, while ours took us to Israel. Our time in Jordan partially overlapped with theirs and we enjoyed working with them there.

Where to from here? Next week we will be in Arkansas. We will head back here for a short time, then travel to Massachusetts and Maine. The next stop will be Minnesota. We are looking forward to what God will do in these next few months, but as we transition back to ministry here, I can't help but feel that a part of me stayed behind in Israel. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to live and work there. I was immeasurably blessed to be involved in such a great work and meet such wonderful people. I will miss them but am happy that our time there, though brief, was both productive and personally meaningful. Those of you reading this in Israel: Please remember that we love you so very much and you are in our hearts and minds. Our prayers will be with you!