Reflections
I’ve been home now for a little over two weeks. In that time I’ve traveled to and from Indiana for Grandma’s memorial service. It was a special time of seeing family, visiting a home from long ago and sharing moments of the heart that brought us all together as one, if only for a weekend. Now I am back in Colorado and have to gain insight on where my future goes from here.
I slipped into my prior placed of employment for a short and sweet visit on Wednesday. I had promised I would after I returned. Glen and Nolan were hooked up to their morning IV of coffee before the clock hit eight. We enjoyed some time of updates including a new bus in the lot, some new hires for drivers and a remodel in the office. As usual, we shared laughs and stories. Bob came in at his usual time and I gave some quick reflections on my experience in Haiti. The shop is manned with plenty of part time drivers and Nolan has fit back into his maintenance position that he enjoyed almost ten years ago. All is well with the department and they will be moving on with their top quality service to the college.
I had an unusual experience with my oldest daughter, Christina, the other day at Chick Filet. She asked me to meet her over at that establishment the day after my return just to share in a late morning breakfast and visit. I had the time since Michelle was at work so I obliged. I left early because the noise level was rather high but found out that evening that, after I left, one of the servers who reads stories to the children had asked Chris where I had been. She gave a brief explanation and the lady asked if I would be interested in coming to her Sunday school class to share my experiences in Haiti. I didn’t think much of it at the time but have since reconsidered. During my last night in Haiti, after I shared my message about ‘The Toolbox’ to the base during devotions, the team gathered around and prayed for me. One of the prayers was that I was being sent back to the States as a missionary in order to share about what God was doing in Haiti. I mused on the dichotomy of that statement as missionaries are generally viewed upon as being sent out from the States, not the opposite. But as various doors closed upon my return home, I’ve re-evaluated the prayer and wonder if, perhaps, other doors more in line with my faith and experiences might be opening. I will be thinking on those thoughts in the coming weeks.
Once again I am leaning on the Lord to give placement at this place in my life. As with the Haiti experience of leaning on God to make me feel a part of something when I felt like an outsider, I now can trust Him to open the doors to make me feel at home at my home. It should be interesting; an opportunity to draw close to Him.
