I am back in the South, and honestly I don't know how I feel about that quite yet. Just a small heads up this will most definitely be a long post! I have been back home for almost two weeks and I have not had time to rest yet.
So, I left Chicago on the 10th at 4 in the morning, needless to say I did not get any sleep that night. Actually the plane left at 6 but myself and Danielle made the trek out to the airport at 4 right after being in the hug line with all of project, which of course produced a huge cry fest for most if not all of project. Once in the airport my tears had finally dried up, honestly because Danielle is a great flying partner. We made flight to Atlanta spotlessly and were excited to have an hour layover to rest a little before getting on the next flight. That didn't quite work out because we ended up missing our flight! Finally after hours sitting in the airport I was able to get in an open seat going back to Fayetteville, NC while Danielle got a different transfer to Myrtle Beach. Upon returning home I was so excited to see my nephews face, Juden, greeting me!
In reality coming home was extremely bitter sweet. It was great to be with my biological family but leaving the spiritual family that had seen me and grown with me for the past ten weeks really rocked my world. For the first hour in my new home, I had to ask to be left alone in my room to pray to God and really just cry. Seriously, though I thought that hour was going to be one of the saddest God turned it around to a time of complete joy, peace and love for my Savior. During this time all I could think of was Moses and his mountain top experience.
Basically Exodus 34 tells this experience for Moses. God tells Moses to go up the Mount Sinai to give him the Ten Commandments. While Moses is up there God allows him to see some of God's glory. This short amount of time that he was allotted in the presence of God changed Moses tremendously. To the point where his face shone with the glory of God, so much so that Moses had to wear a veil over his face.
Of course we were not in the actual presence and body of God on project, but His Holy Spirit was definitely with us. This summer I was able to see a community that probably functioned as closely to the early church as we can see today. We ate together, lived together, where taught together, grew together, shared our faith together, were baptized together, worshiped together and were vulnerable, all to the glory of God in order to point each other to our Creator. While in Chicago, I became homesick to be reunited with my Jesus and just a little bit obsessed with Heaven. I will never refute the fact that this summer was a giant mountain top experience. God changed me in Chicago to see His kingdom so much more clearly; He allowed me to see what a Christian community can be like, what it is like to live a life with a missions focus. To see every opportunity to share His name with the people I know. Moses was given this experience and I can only imagine his emotions after coming off of the mountain. I know if it were me, I would probably be angry that God took me away from Him and put me back among a sinful nation. I would want to just die and be with Him again. I can only imagine him being so sad and longing to go home so badly. BUT, God works all things out for good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28). Moses needed to give his people the commandments and share His experience of witnessing the glory of God to them. From Moses' testimony others could see God for who He is. Though my mountain top is NO WHERE NEAR Moses', I know that though that time was great and God has given me that time of growth, change and training, to better shine His glory here at my home.
On that note, please pray that God would truly work though those who went on project to use our time away for His glory. My biggest prayer is that lives would be changed from the visible difference that project has made in our lives.
