Around the World in Seven Days!

After realizing that I could not change my ticket without a massive fee, I found it cheaper to fly home and come back in order to stay until August. I had seven days to fly home, accomplish all my tasks in GA, and fly back (which actually took two days). This turned out to be both a blessing and a frustration, and now a lesson I can share.

After an extremely long flight home it was great to land and immediately be greeted by my step-dad and my little sister, proudly holding a Czech version of a "welcome home" sign. I spent the week in America visiting friends, spending time with my wonderful family, catching up with everyone at work and gathering "supplies" for my trip. The blessings were abundant in that I got to see so many people from my immediate family to my church family. I was able to see my older sister inducted in a national honors society and then graduate with a Master's degree. And best of all, I got to spend Mother's Day with my wonderful mum and my crazy siblings! Even though we are all grown up, it was just like the "good ole days" being together again and ragging each other to the best of our ability. Back in the States, the encouragement was overflowing from everyone I saw and my days were filled with visits and phone calls. It was a lot harder than I imagined to be there for just a week and get everything accomplished that I planned. There were so many people to see and so many things to do!

Aside from my visits, I had to get all my summer clothes together and anything else I needed for my time away. This included quite a few essentials that I could not get in Europe - yet with my limited time and resources not everything was packed into the three (yes I said three) suitcases that accompanied me back to Prague. By the day I was to fly out I was running late, in need of more things, and extremely stressed. My sister and I were literally throwing everything into my suitcases, leaving my room in total disarray. So what was supposed to be an organized week of visits and packing ended with a frantic dash to the airport. My bags were full no doubt but not with the best packing skills. The entire way back and for days after, I thought about the things I had not been able to bring. They were little things like shoes and movies and foods that you can't get here. Yet they were little luxuries that make an American feel at home in a strange land, and a fashion queen feel in style.

I realized my focus was way off and I figured out why. Since I am not in a third world country but in a an affluent area you start to feel that it's ok to still want things. Had I been in Africa, I would shun the little luxuries of life saying that I am on the mission field and I understood that I had to give up things. I wouldn't have anywhere to wear high heel shoes to or a dvd player to watch movies. Here, however, it is a very different situation. So I felt that it was not as necessary to give up everything - I didn't have to live below the poverty line. This attitude is not a bad one but when it overrides your mind and you become frustrated over what you are giving up, then it become a problem. I had the blessing to be serving God in a beautiful country and all I could think about were white high heels that go perfectly with those gray pants hanging in my closet. I wanted to go straight to the phone and have my mom ship everything here, offering to pay no matter what the cost. However, I realized what I was thinking. Would one extra pair of shoes really be worth money that could be used for groceries or gas? Should I really be worried about material things when I had to be in the best spiritual shape to be able to fulfill my time here? Yes I get to enjoy the little pleasures in life even while I am on the mission field. But I cannot let it become so important that my focus is taken off my main goal and the pleasures become necessities.