She'll Be Comin' 'Round the World . . . when she comes

Ready or not, here I come! I board a plane in 16 hours bound for home. Believe it or not, I'm actually just about packed---with soooooo much time to spare:) Basically, I'm bringing just a few clothing items, two pairs of shoes, lots of gifts, and other random things I just can't live without for two months.

During the past few days of closure, I've had a few moments to reflect (non-Mt. Everestly) on my time in Taiwan. I realized something kind of cool. See, I can't wait to come home to MN. I'm practically freaking out about how great it will be to be home, but on the flip side, I can't wait to head back to Taiwan in August. God is so good! I'm looking forward to hanging out with friends in order to deepen relationships. I'm planning on serving more in my church, and I'll be making deliberate attempts to fellowship with people in the church. I'll be hitting Chinese lessons hard beginning in August--I already have a coworker lined up to share classes with.

No, I didn't go into this Taiwan adventure dragging my feet and thinking that I'd hate it . . . but I did have moments where I wondered if Taiwan would be a good fit. Again, God is so faithful! Throughout this entire year, He has been in the details of my life. I cannot THANK YOU enough for your prayers on my behalf. I've been stretched and molded this year in ways I haven't experienced before in my walk with the Lord. I'm thrilled to report that my years in the "desert" are over . . . maybe you've been there . . . or maybe you're in the "desert" right now. I've come to realize that sometimes, all that's blocking a "refreshing oasis" is our own disobedience and pride.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing LOTS of folks this summer---I have treats for you all!! Please stay in touch! I've got a cell phone number for the summer. You can check it out on the sidebar of this blog. I'll also be checking my email quite often, and because I don't want another chunk of "blog-lessness," I'll be posting on here occasionally:)

Again, thank you for your notes, emails, packages, etc. this year. YOU were lifesavers:)

Oh, and Shanny, I could NEVER possibly thank you enough. Thanks for being an AMAZING American Agent this year. You have helped to hold my life together in SOOOOOOOOO many ways. I love you bunches:) See you soon!