Home to Home to Home

"I have hit my 5 year anniversary with YWAM MT" a phrase I thought I would never say when I first woke up in the Nepal themed hospitality room after arriving in MT late the night before. I remember feeling a little confused and very dazed. The days leading up to moving to Montana were filled with sunset hikes and final conversations with my Firwood community with lots and lots of tears. I can't help but look back on those first couple weeks in Montana and laugh at the weird, awkward, and weepy girl I was. That girl had no idea she was going to make such beautiful friendships with not only the people who lived down the hall, but with people all around the world. That girl had no idea what God had in store for her. I find that I am in the same place now. I have no idea the wonderful things the Lord has in store for me as I get ready to board and plane and take off to a little island where I first fell in love with missions. I am about to embark on a 9 month adventure of diving deep into the word of God, to broaden and deepen my foundation of faith. School of Biblical Studies will take me through the Bible about 5 or 6 times to understand what was written to the intended audiences of each book. What better place to study then in beautiful Kona Hawaii where 7 years ago I attended my first school with YWAM. 2013 was the first year I realized home was not just in a little town near the Canadian boarder. Hawaii became a second home to me and as I continued in missions, more and more people and  places in the far corners of the earth became home. I find myself in the same place as I did 5 years ago, saying goodbye to friends and family all nestled at the bottom of a ski mountain in a tiny town called Lakeside Montana. I am anxiously packing wondering if I have all I need or to much of what I don't. The difference between today, and 5 years ago is instead of leaving my little slice of comfort in Washington, I am also leaving my piece of paradise in Montana, and I am going to my little piece of peace in the middle of the ocean. It is not easy to chart and measure the growth I have had over the last 5 years with YWAM in Montana. I have traveled more in the last 5 years than I think I have in my entire life and learned a lot about leading myself and others in times of easy joy and in times of great stress. Walking through cultural mishaps and allowing myself to learn and laugh in the midst of making a fool out of myself while trying to learn other languages. I have learned to allow my arms stretch wider to embrace more people than I ever thought my heart could have the capacity to love all at the same time. I have learned to be comfortable in the uncomfortable. I have learned how to sit with someone in the midst of sorrow and how to cheer them on when joy is found again. I have learned my strengths in leadership and my weaknesses and how to grow in both of them and to apologize when I am still in the process of growing. Out of all these things I have learned with the Lord, the biggest thing is that no matter where I might be in this world, I am always just  traveling from home to home to home, and lets face it, there is no greater joy than going home.  So this next season in the midst of reading and re reading and charting and writing, I will still find joy in the fact that I have gone from home to home to home, in order to welcome more people to the family of God that makes everywhere I go Home.