I had an awesome time. I had anticipated my return for some time partly because I had kept it a secret and I couldn't wait to see the reactions from my grandmothers and aunt. "Where did you come from?," "How did you get here?," "What's wrong? Why are you here?" were common first responses, after the screaming that is. My ears quit ringing eventually. My dad took off work the whole week I was home and my sister and bil ('brother-in-law' for those of you out of the loop) came to Birmingham for most of the week as well. Last Saturday, as my grandad so eloquently put it, we celebrated 'Trey-Day.' All my family from my mom's side and many from my dad's side were together all day. We ate, swam, laughed, told stories, and, for the most part, forgot that I wasn't really home. I mean, I was home, but I wasn't where I belong.
As much as I enjoyed 'Trey-Day' and spending all week with my family and other people that mean a whole lot to me, it felt so good to get back to Honduras. I couldn't exactly explain it until today when I was talking to a friend in Siguat. We crossed paths as I was walking back from the dumpster and he was returning from downtown buying a soldering iron. He didn't know that I had gone to the States, so he wanted to know why I hadn't been around for a week and a half. I told him I had to leave to renew my visa and I got to spend great time with my family and friends, but that I was glad to be back.
"Why?" he asked.
"It just feels good to be back where I know God wants me to be," I responded.
He looked back at me and said, "there's no better place to be than in the center of the will of God. Even though you're away from your family , and friends, and Laura, and sometimes face very difficult circumstances, if you're doing the will of God, you're in the best place."
For His name's sake, it is worth leaving houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, even fiancée. There are times when I doubt this truth. There are times when I don't want to be here alone. There are times where it would be easier relationally, emotionally and financially to be back in Birmingham. It is usually in those times when I'm driven to my knees and ask God why on earth he has me here. He doesn't always give me the answer audibly from a friend carrying a soldering iron, but He is always faithful to be faithful. It is not easy to count gain as loss for the sake of Christ, but at the very least, I'm learning. I'm learning that following Christ is worth it, he must be worth all of it.
I recently finished reading Let The Nations Be Glad by John Piper. The closing paragraph of the book jumped off the page at me because it inextricably points to why I'm here, why Christ is worth it, and ultimately, why we're all here.
It is our unspeakable privilege to be caught up with him in the greatest movement in history--the ingathering of the elect from every tribe and language and people and nation until the full number of the Gentiles comes in and all Israel is saved an teh Son of Man descends with power and great glory as King of kings and Lords of lords and the earth is full of the knowledge of his glory as the waters cover teh sea forever and ever. Then the supremacy of Christ will be manifest to all, and he will deliver the kingdom of God to the Father, and God will be all in all.
