after the longest 2 days of my life, i'm home. seriously, i don't know if i could've been any more tired before leaving and spending the night in the airport, and sitting behind and in front of screaming children (seriously, if your child is screaming for 4 hours, wouldn't you try to do something about it?) for 2 of the 3 flights didn't make anything better. but what did make it better was the non-fat, extra hot gingerbread latte and eggnog latte from
starbucks in london and chicago. i was so out of it when i got home. i did stay awake long enough to show my parents the video erlend made for me - "if you're not the one" by
daniel bedingfield. i've never heard it played in the states before, but as i was driving up from the driveway this afternoon (had to break the ban on walmart and stock up on big american-sized toiletries), it came on the radio. i began laughing so hard. i actually had quite a difficult time leaving norway - a bit sad, so that song made it a bit better. good memories.
coming home (although i haven't really lived at "home" in almost 7 years) is always nice, although i think it gets a bit more difficult after living away longer. i have my own home in skien, my own friends, my own life. last night i was so confused when i couldn't find the recycling bin (we don't recycle anything here), the toilet seat was lower than the one at my apartment, everyone around me at the airport was large and loud. i went to walmart - which is probably the worst place anyone could go after being away from america for an extended time - and took such a long time just looking and touching everything. everything was so cheap and so large and there was so much to choose from! it's just strange, the life i lead. i don't really have my own life here in the states, yet i'm still a bit of an outsider in norway because i'm not norwegian. it gets tiring at times, going back and forth, trying to understand what's going on around me, who i am in each of these places. welcome to missionary life.
this morning i went to my old high school to talk to the junior and senior high during chapel. i spoke a bit about the dts and then about having an honest, personal relationship to God. even with the norwegian accent and messed up grammar, it went quite well. a couple of the girls talked to me about dts afterwards and one of the staff said what i said was exactly what God has been teaching her. i also talked to my mom's 2nd grade class and answered questions like "how do you say boy in norwegian? how do you count? do you live in a house or one of those 'things'?" (meaning a hut). it was much fun. my mom is so intentional in what she teaches and many of them already have a heart for missions. incredible. tonight it's off to a high school basketball game. now it's time to catch up on sleep.
guess where i've been...
matthew and amanda fighting over a latte (he's not really hurting her. look, she's laughing!)
my cousin stanley and me
kansas sunset
my sister and her husband
