The tropical storm did come. In fact it was supposed to turn into a hurricane a few hours after I got out of here. But we did a little loop to the West and flew ahead of the storm. Fany said it didn't even rain down here. It stayed more North and worsened as it hit Belize.
My time in New York was even better than I hoped. It didn't go as I expected. I really didn't focus on fundraising, although I tried. It just didn't work out. Instead, I reconnected on a deeper level with a lot of people I haven't seen in many years. I'm pretty sure that was God's plan all along. At the very least it was much more fun that fundraising.
I'll go into more detail about the trip another day, when my brain is less fuzzy. I came home and jumped right into work, so I haven't had time to recuperate.
Today at church people asked me if I was returning to Honduras relaxed. Man that drives me nuts! I was gone 13 days. Of that time, more then 48 hours was spent traveling to and from Honduras (and fighting with American Airlines, which I won't get into here). While I was in the US, I moved from place to place, saw people I haven't seen since I was a teenager and stayed up late most nights catching up. It was really, really fun! But relaxing, it was not.
In fact, since I became a missionary, no trip to the US has ever been relaxing. There have been a few random days of relaxation, which are usually spent with my mother asking me why I don't get out of bed.
The thing I learned from this trip is that I really love where I grew up. I never loved it as a kid. In fact, I couldn't wait to get out of there. Later, I never had the desire to go back. I was surprised at how excited I was for this trip. Finally, at 45 years old, I was ready to go back and face the place where I was raised.
What I learned is that I am more loved by more people there than I ever realized. I also learned that it is not the depressing, dumpy place my memory turned it into. It's beautiful! I got to eat great food, go back to all of my favorite places, and reestablish relationships with people who hadn't forgotten about me the way I assumed they had.
It is such a blessing to hang out with people you were close to as a child and realize that, although you haven't seen them in 25 years, you still completely enjoy their company as a mature adult. I messed up a lot of things as a teen, but choosing friends is one thing I did well. I have great friends in New York!
To Be Continued...
