It’s approaching a week since I completed the STEP program with Brethren in Christ World Missions. I finished on Saturday the 10^th of May and then returned home on the 12^th after visiting family. I want to thank each of my faithful readers for your dedication in prayer and keeping up to date, not to mention the incredible financial support I have received. This will be my final blog about my trip to Honduras and I want to just share briefly what my “returning home” experience has been like.

Upon returning to the USA on the 25^th of April, I stayed with my team at the Harrisburg Discipleship Center for two weeks. HDC provided a good opportunity for debriefing and reflection on our experience, and provided a healthy way to re-enter our home culture. The time was about perfect as I only started getting antsy to finish a few days before the end.

We learned about this thing called “reverse culture-shock”. While I didn’t understand the need for good debriefing and preparation for this, I now do and am so thankful for how the time we spent processing our experience and preparing for re-entry cushioned the landing. Emotionally, spiritually, and physically I feel I have began to re-enter well, though I would like to share a few of the seemingly minor “shocks” I experienced – these aren’t the kind we prepared for.

• While traveling home from Pennsylvania, my sister mentioned that the following day she would have a field trip to Progressive Field. “Progressive Field”, I thought, “where in the world is that?” I quickly scanned through my knowledge base of local baseball and football stadiums and came up clueless. “Umm, where’s Progressive Field?” I shamefully asked. My question was met by both my mom and sister with confusion and surprise, then a smirk of humor and pity for my so very out of touch sports mind. As I was told of this huge change, I was literally shocked as I came to the realization that, “Jacob’s Field is now Progressive Field.” How did the stadium of my favorite baseball team and first sports love change its name in the short time I was gone, and why didn’t they consult me on this?
  

• My next area of, not so much culture shock, but more “change shock” was when I decided that showering would be a good idea on Wednesday afternoon. You see, I chose to skip this daily ritual on Tuesday because --- why not? Upon entering the shower in the bathroom I now share with my teenage sister, I was met with feelings I had never felt in that location. This shower, which I have been using for almost eleven years and was a place of security and warm water, had become a place confusion and terror. I had to dodge falling razors and bottles of every “body condiment” known to man – or woman. In the past, I simply reached for the bar of soap and bottle of shampoo, but now, oh the selection. All the bottles seemed to be screaming names and words at me that couldn’t be anything but French or Italian (couldn’t this have at least been in Spanish?). I had no choice but to use what was in front of me and I am now fearful that all my hair will fall out because I used shampoo for blond hair, shades “honey to caramel”, and my hair is anything but “honey or caramel”. As far as I’m concerned "honey and caramel" are ice cream toppings and coffee flavors, not hair colors – who knew such a thing? At least I know my hair has been triple moisturized and I now smell of every “scent of the rainbow”.

Thanks for sharing in my Honduran adventure and now my Ohio adventures. I look forward to the future the Lord has for me. Please continue to pray for me as I re-enter this country I really do love. Pray that I will adjust well to this “real and changing world” that continues to make me love life.

I will briefly share my future plans. For now I am just trying to find odd jobs to make a few dollars for some upcoming projects. On May 27^th I will be flying to Madrid, Spain to spend two weeks working on a special project for BICWM. I will return to the States on the 10^th of June and begin preparing for a trip I will be co-leading to Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The trip to Honduras (including training and debriefing) will be from the 27^th of June to the 26^th of July. Upon returning I will be traveling directly to Ontario, Canada for a week of relaxation with my family. After that, “solo Dios sabe” (only God’s knows). I have learned to trust His leading and call on my life without looking back and though He is calling me do some things I may not enjoy doing (such as looking for more support money for this Honduras trip), I can’t say no to something I know He has told me to do. Plus, most of what He is having me do fits my skill sets and desires.

Blessings to each of you as you continue to live only for the glory of our Lord.

And here we are one final time!!