For the second time in 6 months my packed bags lay next to the door ready for another adventure. Such a similar scenario. The flight, the bags by the door, the early morning drive to the airport. It's eerily familiar. But its a very different person who will boarding that plane tomorrow for one final flight to Hawaii. When I left PA on that early April morning I was so excited and joyful that I could barely contain myself. Tomorrow there will be joy but also a sort of grief at realizing that I will be seeing this airport again in a week and that my DTS will be officially over than. Grief at the missed experiences that I am sure to hear and the awesome people who I will only be able to spend a brief time with.
Life has a way of throwing the unexpected things at you. When I left PA in April I was expecting the "classic" DTS experience, amazing lecture phase, awesome outreach phase, and a fantastic time of debrief swapping stories with all the amazing friends I will have made. In many ways that is exactly what I got. An amazing lecture phase, an outreach phase, that while probably the toughest time in my life, I can honestly say that the results of it will be awesome (I may have to wait awhile until I view them that way but I have faith that someday thats exactly what I will think), and I'm expecting a fantastic time of sharing with friends from DTS.
But there is a key difference. I'm not coming off the emotional and spiritual "high" I expected I would be at the end of DTS. In fact in many ways I feel like a beat up, emotionally drained, weary man who has engaged in a battle that put everything he learned on the breaking point. A time of testing that left me exhausted and realizing that I had nothing I can give except the daily bread that God continues to pour out. Sometimes the daily bread seems so small but its always enough.
So Hawaii I look forward to seeing you, Although with the bittersweet reality of life. The reality that I will soon be leaving your sunny shores and back to the battle that God has called me to fight. The battle of normal life where the real tests and struggles come, but the sweet victories and hope are always within reach. By God's grace I will return to PA a little refreshed and more settled about DTS. Right now I feel as though I'm in some short of limbo, living the normal life after DTS deal but soon to be thrust back into the end of DTS. It could be a weird week going back. But I'm ready to finish this adventure so I can jump right into the next adventure that God calls me to! Hawaii here I come!
Life has a way of throwing the unexpected things at you. When I left PA in April I was expecting the "classic" DTS experience, amazing lecture phase, awesome outreach phase, and a fantastic time of debrief swapping stories with all the amazing friends I will have made. In many ways that is exactly what I got. An amazing lecture phase, an outreach phase, that while probably the toughest time in my life, I can honestly say that the results of it will be awesome (I may have to wait awhile until I view them that way but I have faith that someday thats exactly what I will think), and I'm expecting a fantastic time of sharing with friends from DTS.
But there is a key difference. I'm not coming off the emotional and spiritual "high" I expected I would be at the end of DTS. In fact in many ways I feel like a beat up, emotionally drained, weary man who has engaged in a battle that put everything he learned on the breaking point. A time of testing that left me exhausted and realizing that I had nothing I can give except the daily bread that God continues to pour out. Sometimes the daily bread seems so small but its always enough.
So Hawaii I look forward to seeing you, Although with the bittersweet reality of life. The reality that I will soon be leaving your sunny shores and back to the battle that God has called me to fight. The battle of normal life where the real tests and struggles come, but the sweet victories and hope are always within reach. By God's grace I will return to PA a little refreshed and more settled about DTS. Right now I feel as though I'm in some short of limbo, living the normal life after DTS deal but soon to be thrust back into the end of DTS. It could be a weird week going back. But I'm ready to finish this adventure so I can jump right into the next adventure that God calls me to! Hawaii here I come!
I AM HAPPY FOR YOU DAVID PUCK SAYS HI AND HE MISSES YOU . HE IS ON MY COMPUTER DESK SO I THINK OF YOU EVERY DAY
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