It was just over one month ago that i stepped onto the plane that would take me back across the vast expanse between New Zealand and America. Not knowing quite what to expect, i did my best to emotionally prepare for the transition back to life in the states, at home, at camp, at school...with family and friends and Spencer and other camp counselors, and with myself, knowing that my growth during my time abroad has been deep.
Now that i have been back for a while i can say that the transition hasn't been as tough as I'd anticipated. There have been challenges, but overall it's been good. This is what i have been able to consistently report to everyone that i've talked to about my experience - it was just so good. And this isn't just something to say as a quick answer to "Sooooo, how was New Zealand?" (as i've been asked at least 1,000 times now); i really mean that these past 6 months were really good. Writing that i am so thankful for the opportunity of traveling to and living in NZ is the most drastic understatement. My time living abroad, meeting some absolutely amazing friends, and being challenged by separation from all that i know back home are things that have truly changed my life, and will continue to impact me until i meet Jesus someday. And for this i am eternally grateful.
As i've rcounted to many of you, i went to NZ prepared to be challenged by living in a largely secular environment. I expected little to no christian fellowship. I was finally stepping out of the bubble - the bubble of high school, which moved to the camp bubble, which led to the grove city bubble. These things have been great in my life but they are so sheltered and i was looking forward to experiencing more of what's outside in the world. But what's amazing is that God provided some of the most inspiring friends - Christian friends - to love and push me during this time. He reminded me that He can (and will) challenge me, and that He will also provide the things i need at the same time, and during this time i did really need fellowship. As i look back on my time in Dunedin i am blown away by how evident was God's provision in my life and in those around me.
I was given the gift of being able to travel to see so much of beautiful New Zealand, and with people who are now so dear to my heart. I was reminded of the importance of relationships, as the Lord blessed me with people who loved me like they'd known me for years. I had the great opportunity to attend classes that aren't offered at home, with professors who are so wise (i only learned at the end of the semester that my Marine 302 prof is one of the world's leading conservation biologists - WHAT), to take courses that stretched me and made me really think harder about why i believe what i believe and do what i do. I lived in a city, learned the culture, grew to appreciate differences rather than ask why they don't do things "our way", and came full circle to reestablish within myself that i am so glad to be an American. I had the privilege of living and traveling with people from countries all around the world. I found a solid Bible-teaching church, sweet community of believers, a weekly college-student Bible-study. I was challenged to reconsider my purpose in this world as a Christian and reminded of the call to tell others about Jesus. I experienced the huge blessing of loved ones coming to visit me and was again reminded of God's perfect timing when, in a state of deep homesickness, i still had a month left and learned that it was absolutely the Lord's plan for me to be staying longer. I shared my heart for the Lord with the three awesome girls that i lived with and convicted to think deeper about what it means to share the gospel with non-believers, learning that it's much more than having a conversation about what the Bible says; it's about a long-term commitment to pray for their hearts and trust in God's plan. I've learned to be motivated to pursue people, not just their religious status.
I was overwhelmed by the continual display of God's grace in my life and in those around me. His blessings are simply innumerable. Being back in Somerset for some of the summer has been sweet...being able to reconnect with old friends and family and camp relationships. But the best way i can describe being back from NZ is surreal. I don't think that anyone can fully relate to this feeling unless you've spent a large amount of time far away. I think it feels like this because my world in NZ and my world back home aren't connected; they are not only far away in literal distance, but also in experience, culture, expectation. As i've described above, the impact of my time in NZ is incredible. But while i was there for a long time, not much has changed at home; things feel are largely the same. So it all sort of feels like a dream, or something that happened a long, long time ago. I don't quite know what to take from this aspect of the transition, but i'm sure that i will grow to understand more over time. One thing that i have come to more fully understand is that my time in New Zealand, as amazing as it was, was meant to come to a close. I parallel this with the terms at camp. I have often heard campers say that they just wish that they could stay at camp forever and never have to leave, and i remember feelins this way as a camper too. But where would our purpose be in that? We go for this short amount of time in order to learn and grow and try to positively impact others, but if we stayed forever that growth would not be able to continue, at least in the same situation in which we began. Instead, just like those two weeks at camp are meant to end, so was my time abroad. This time in my life was meant to only be temporary, a time removed from what i'd always deemed "normal" and into something new. And now i've been sent back - back to this life and these relationships, to share what i've learned and continue to spread what i've grown to understand to be the purpose of our lives. And you know what? I'm excited about it.
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New Zealand, you've been good to me : ) |
