Final Days, Adjustments, and Thanks

I can’t believe I have been home for a week already! It seems like just yesterday I was in India. I wanted to post another blog to update everyone on my last couple of days in India and what life has been like since being home.

My last few days in India were crazy busy but extremely fun. We finished up ministry on Thursday. Leaving the stitching center was very difficult as that had been the place we had spent the most time at. Friday was our fun day and the day of the trip where we could act like tourists. We took a day trip to Mysore where we toured an extravagant palace, saw an extremely large dam, walked through a beautiful garden and rode an elephant. Yes, I got to ride an elephant in India…so cool!! 

In front of Mysore Palace

The garden

Just having some fun at the garden

The huge and powerful dam-it was breath-taking

SO fun!

Saturday we began our debriefing process, finished up souvenir shopping, and had Bible study that night. Sunday was part 2 of the debriefing process, then we went over to a friend’s house for a delicious Indian lunch, church in the afternoon and another friend’s house for our final Indian supper. Church was extremely difficult to leave. We have a church family there that blessed us beyond belief and became some of our closest friends. We were thankful though that it was the last place we went to before the airport. We got home around 8:30, did our final packing and devotions and were off to the airport. We made it through security and customs with no issues. 

Our flight left at 3 a.m. Monday morning. We had a 9 hour flight to Germany. I slept almost the whole time. I was very fortunate on that flight to sit in the first row behind business class so I had lots of leg room. We arrived in Germany at 9 a.m. (their time). I only had an hour and a half layover and Germany airport is big! I made it through and to my gate just as they were getting ready to board my flight. I had to say bye to Kelsey and Erin as we each had separate flights from Germany. The flight from Germany to Chicago was another 9 hours and that flight was a struggle. I wasn’t very tired and there weren’t many good movies so the flight seemed to take forever. I was definitely ready to be off that plane when we finally landed in Chicago. I was back in the USA! I went through customs and everything with no issues.  I had about 3 hours in the Chicago airport before my last flight. Thankfully the airport is big so I kept myself busy and the last 45 minutes I got to spend with Kelsey (she was on a different flight about 2 hours behind mine). My flight out of Chicago got delayed a half hour but we finally boarded and took off. The plane seemed so incredibly small after the huge ones I was used to. The flight was only an hour and when we landed, I was so happy! I was greeted by the biggest and best welcome home crew!! We were all smiles :) 

Apparently, they were all fighting over who would get to hug me first but my sister definitely won (Kody claims he "let her win") :) She came full out running at me and the tears of happiness streamed from both of our faces.

I was overwhelmed with love and was so thankful to be home and see faces I knew. We came back to my house and had a delicious supper and talked for a long time.

The past week has been full of emotion and trying to adjust back to life here. It has been a slow process but I am getting there. I felt very strange, and didn’t really know how to explain it. I didn’t go very many places last week, but definitely got bombarded with school stuff and life here. I quickly realized I only had 2 and a half weeks before moving back to school. Jet lag has not been awful which I have been very thankful for. I am loving the hot showers with water pressure, sleeping like a baby in my own bed, and eating so many delicious foods including good ole Iowa sweet corn! I am still processing a lot and trying to figure out how to handle life here along with my life in India. Part of my heart will forever be in India.

I want to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has been supporting me through this whole process. The amount of conversations, emails, words of encouragement, financial support, and prayers has been tremendous and overwhelming. I feel so blessed to have so many amazing people in my life. After a lengthy application, going through an interview, getting letters of recommendation, going to meetings for 6 months, flying 20,000 miles, living on the other side of the world for 7 weeks, and lots and lots of prayers, my life has forever been changed. I have learned so much about myself, God and the world. This journey has definitely been one of a lifetime! I am so thankful to have been a part of Northwestern’s SOS team and see God’s plan unfold. Thank you for reading my blog, following me this summer, and praying. I have SO many stories to share, so if you ever want to talk about it, I would absolutely love to!

I would ask that you continue to pray for Rahab’s Rope and the women and children I met this summer and grew to love. Please pray that…
-the appropriate steps and clarity will be given to open our own aftercare center
-nationals will step up and be leaders and advocates for the victims
-children and women will continue to be rescued
-those that are rescued will be free of the bondage that they face
-for the three ministry sites that we are currently involved in (HIV hospital, stitching center, an aftercare center) and that they will be safe places full of God’s love
-for my leaders, Jill and Lydia, as they continue to serve and make decisions
-God would continue to plant and water the seeds that were sown
-for my teammates and I’s hearts as we adjust and continue to process through everything we encountered this summer

Lastly, I would like to share one more song with you that has been heavy on my heart over the past week and a half. My aunt and uncle used it as encouragement for me when I left and it remained that way throughout the summer and since I have been home. The words are PERFECT!  I saw this song come to life this summer. I love the whole song but especially the bridge part that says, “Nothing formed against me shall stand. You hold the whole world in your hands. I’m holding on to your promises. You are faithful.” I have clung tight to those words especially as I have returned home, and they will continue to remain true. It is crazy to think that in 10 days, I will be moving back to Northwestern for my senior year of college. This fall I will be student teaching part time and taking my final college classes followed by full time student teaching in the spring.  My SOS is complete, but now it is time to continue and finish this chapter of my life. But I am confident that no matter where we are or what we are doing, “God goes before us, stands behind us, and is always by our side.”