(Far From) Last Thoughts...

It's good to be home. It really is. I don't know if I truly realized just how much I missed everyone until I got back. However, I'd be lying if I said that I'm not thinking of the boys quite often. There are so many things from this trip, that I'll just never be able to forget.

This is something I jotted down a little while back, after several days of being back home.

Every morning, I hope I wake up and hear that annoying rooster crowing at 4 AM.
I hope that I'll make a face because of the smells of the jungle I'm living in.
I hope that my back will hurt because of the thin mattress I'm sleeping on.
I hope I'll hear all the insects buzzing around my head and that I'll already be sweating because of the incredible heat.
And I hope that I'll wake up to the sound of "La Nina De tus Ojos" coming out of Willy's phone, like I have every morning for the past two weeks.

Instead, I wake up on a clean pillow in my comfy bed with the smell of pancakes coming from downstairs.
I don't smell like the jungle.
My cell phone and iPod are right beside me on my night stand and a tear rolls down my face.

Because I would give all my luxuries away in a heartbeat if I could only be with those special boys again.


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I'm working on finding you a link for all my pictures online, and will post it once I figure out how...which hopefully will be soon! Thank you so much for keeping up with my posts!

Home again...

After sevral long flights, I finally made it back home to North Carolina!

I have so many stories and i don't think I could ever explain what this trip has made me think about and just how much I know it has and will affect my life.

Thank you so much for your prayers for me during this trip. I know I had a great group of people supporting me.

I can't wait to tell you about it in person!

July 31, 2009

Today is the day that most of me hoped would never come.

Tonight I'm spending the night at the Clarks house. We had lasagna for lunch, which was incredible after 2 weeks of jungle food. I took a shower with clean water (as opposed to jumping in the river) and blow-dried my hair--I don't know when I've felt so in all of my life.

Yet inspite of all these luxuries I find myself amazed at (i.e. water, lights, clenlyness, ham and cheese sandwhiches), I feel like there's a hole in my heart. So many boys--I don't think I'll ever be able to forget one of them. Last night and this morning were hard. Ronaldo cried when I left. I've met so many incredibly special people this trip--the house parents, the educators, the helpers, the Scripture Union volunteers--so evidentally placed here by God...I'm going to miss it all.

I'm actually going home tomorrow-this was the quickest month of my life.

As soon as I get home, my life is going to return to its normal stressfulness and my time will quickly be occupied. I wish I could bring "la hora peruana" back with me. And I don't know how I'll get to sleep tonight without "La nina de tus ojos" play in the background over and over again. I know that the faces, smiles, and words of these boys will not leave my mind for a very long time.

But I thank God that I can say with David,

"Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens."

-Psalm 68:19