Returning from a two month hiatus.

Hello blog.  You've been missed.

It has been a little over two months since my last blog post, and while I wanted to write in the last two months, I couldn't make the time.  Things were so busy and when I finally had a moment, writing was the last thing on my mind.  But, I have returned!

In case you didn't know, I have returned to the States.  I felt the Lord calling me back to the States  probably two months ago.  It was very hard to say good-bye to my home in Bukidnon.  As I was making the 32 hour trek back to the other side of the world, my time in Bukidnon felt like a distant dream.  I know that it wasn't.

My time across the world in Bukidnon was the most real experience I've had.  It was a time of complete surrender; a time of saying yes to the Lord, no matter the cost.  Two years ago, before going on my first mission trip, I prayed asking the Lord if it was His will.  I felt Him say, "You need to go on this mission to learn what love is."  In my two years of missions I have begun to discover what true love is.  It is not a romantic candle-lit dinner with the man of my dreams (although maybe one day!) but a constant emptying of self to those around me, only to be filled back up by my Creator.  It is tirelessly proclaiming the Gospel, and when necessary using words.  It is going above and beyond what is expected just so someone else can experience the love of the Lord.  It is a constant emptying and constant filling.  Love is an exhaustingly beautiful thing and at the end of the day, always worth it.

The Lord gave me my heart back in Bukidnon.  He gave me wonderful friends that challenge me with the way they live their lives.  He has given more joy in the last eight months than I've had in a long time.  Missions is the greatest gift the Lord has ever given me and it will not end with Bukidnon.   My career as a missionary is just beginning!  Be in prayer with me as I discover the new mission God has for me!