It's now time for part two!

Grilling for the 4th of July

Roast veggies never looked so tasty!

This white moth must think himself rather clever (he's still not getting a taste)

In case you were wondering where your missionary went, no she didn’t fall off the face of the earth. Rather, three planes rides dropped her into her family’s waiting arms. 

 

From there, I have been trying to find my footing in the midst of all these loose ends. Yipes, starting up a life again is a lot harder than I thought it would be! There’s definitely been some fun interspersed as you can see in the photos (which is probably why picking up the pieces has gone so slowly…but really in the end, who cares how long it takes??).

Waiting for the drive-in movie to start does have moments of beauty

I love my black-and-white setting

Who will win, Dad or Brother??

Out and about for the family un-birthday celebration (me and my Mom)

As the title of my blog suggests, there’s more to a missionary life than simply “going.” When I started this blog, I selfishly believed I would need the encouragement after the “high” of being out of the country. Now I realize God was more behind the title of my blog than I ever thought. Being in Belize was simply half of the task He gave me. It is now time for “and back again.” In a nutshell that means…

I get to testify to the Awesomeness of God and report on what He has done in Belize.

I was reading this missionary reentry book* and from it I learned that God made an investment. He invested in me. Now it’s time for me to make God smile by using my story for His glory. I get the amazing task of being a witness. The thought is a little scary, “What if I botch it up?? What if people don’t get to see the full picture?” But I can rest in the fact that God will be just as faithful here as there. There are Scriptures about “having the words to say” (Luke 12:11-12, and Exodus 4:12  to name a few). All the while I was in Belize, I felt more blessed than being a blessing. I didn’t realize why at the time (I’m a missionary, I’m supposed to mission-ize!). Now I’m thinking it is because He wants me to share the blessing. Maybe I can’t pay it back, but I can pay it forward.

In closing, I believe the quote below applies even more so to testimonies. 

God is just awesome

 *Re-Entry: Making the Transition from Missions to Life at Home by Peter Jordan

This book was very good! I would recommend it even if you’re not a missionary. 

“Now it is a strange thing, but things that are good to have and days that are good to spend are soon told about, and not much to listen to; while things that are uncomfortable, palpitating, and even gruesome, may make a good tale, and take a deal of telling anyway.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit