Furlough Reflection

Today is the day I was to originally return to Guatemala from my stint here in the States; however, due to some health-related issues, I'll be here until the 6th. While I'm not happy about tomorrow's impending colonoscopy (TMI?), I'm glad to have a few more days here. Friday I'm taking a little road trip to Birmingham to visit some folks, and I've been able to see a few other people I wasn't originally planning on having the pleasure to see.

Despite all of my worries concerning being here, my time at home has been nothing short of awesome! I've told a few people that it feels as though my two lives (Guatemala and the U.S.) have been compartmentalized, and I simply stepped out of one and into the other. I've rarely thought about Guatemala since being here, except when sharing about it with friends and family. Honestly, my life there seems so far removed from things here. I guess, in a way, that is the case; but it's almost as if I never left here. I have worried that that means that maybe I haven't changed. But that simply is not true.

As I head back to Guatemala, I want to make sure to make the most of the rest of my time there. I don't have a ton of regrets from my first 6 months there- maybe just that I allowed myself to get stressed out a lot and allowed my pride and fear of embarrassment to get me down. Over the next 6 months, I would like to not be so concerned about "messing up" and not doing things perfectly and to just do my best, be obedient and work/act without fear. My battle with perfectionism has been a very long one, and maybe the rest of my time in Guatemala could be somewhat of a victory over it.

Prayer Requests:

• For my health- that my dr. would figure out what's going on and that the necessary treatment would be easy and succinct.
• For my return to Guatemala- that the transition back to work and everything there would be seamless. 
• For serenity and wisdom as I begin to make plans for life post-Guatemala