welcome to our world.

every year auburn offers a "vision trip" for friends and family to come over and step into our lives for the week. due to my unexpected return to the states, i actually landed back in our city an hour before our crew of 20 visitors arrived! my parents were supposed to be on this trip, but also due to my venture back to nashville and the unknown timeline of my medical needs, they ended up not being able to make it. i was disappointed they could not experience this crazy place i now call home firsthand, but was so thankful for they way they loved me up and sent me back into this harvest! as an added blessing, my best friend Rebekah, her mom, and a slew of other precious guests were actually here in EAST ASIA right as i landed to help me transition back!!!

i mean can you believe it: my best friend with me in asia...all was right in the world! it was such a JOYOUS week. i loved being able to show off our city, bring our guests to class with us, have them meet our friends here, and just see what life is like on the day-to-day. we took a few trips into town to see the 'big city' side of things, ate at all our favorite restaurants, took a trip to the local market (which caused some people to not eat the rest of the trip...), and just got to be together for hours on hours! since this place and this year has made a forever-impression on my life, it was so special for me to be able to share it with reb. now instead of just stories or simply names, these are now places she's been and people she's met. the statistics have instead become friends; the absurdity has now been experienced first-hand! reb is truly a one-of-a-kind friend who stepped into my life here, took it all in, spoke truth/love/encouragement to me, and now fully "gets it". the Lord's graciousness to me is great, and this sweet gift from Him is not one i take for granted!

we ended the week with a little trip to beijing! i had never been to this iconic city so was just as excited as our visitors to see the sites and explore all around. we saw chinese acrobats do the most crazy things with their bodies--it didn't seem like it should be humanly possible to contort as they did. we saw the GREAT WALL, and it was truly great. apparently we had the best weather the city has seen in years: we could see for miles from the top of the wall--God's glory just astounds me! we also got to experience the famous "silk markets" where you can buy anything knock-off you can imagine for pennies on the dollar...talk about full on asia. it was a wonderful weekend in beijing, but i am thankful to live where we do! beijing felt a lot like america but more a part of america i would never want to live in. thus i am happy to be home sweet home and back to the routine here!

 

surprise detour.

when i left for asia last summer, i said goodbye to all things america for what i thought would be the entire year. yet as the Lord tends to do, He had some big surprises in store for me this year. one such surprise was this persistent and unresolved health issue...due to lack of answers, i wound up back in nashville seeking some better healthcare. no one was more shocked than me by this little detour: we booked a flight back and 36 hours later i was on a plane to america: enter culture SHOCK. when i finally got to the nashville airport (after about 40 hours of solo travel), i was greeted by the most precious friends dressed in their scrubs and america gear with posters, flowers, and chickfila as well as the most wonderful parents! i couldn't have imagined a better welcome party, and i soon realized it was a miracle in itself that i made it home due to major snow/ice storms the two days i was flying. God's steady hand of protection and provision keeps showing up in this whole process.

see that tiny circle of no snow...yep, that's nash. over 10,000 cancelled flights during my two travel days.

the majority of my time back in the states was spent at doctors and hospitals trying to figure out what was wrong with me. my fear of all things medical remained, but the fact that the doctors, nurses, secretaires, and everyone in between spoke english eased my heart and mind greatly. plus, when you're sick, there truly is nothing better than being cared for by your mommy...and boy did mine do the best job! our faithful Father had his hand upon the doctors i saw, the unbelievably efficient timing of it all, and the intricate care i was given. i underwent many tests including blood tests, multiple parasite tests, an endoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, a test to see if i'm absorbing nutrients, and a homeopathic examination. fortunately, i am absorbing nutrients...beyond that, everything kept returning negative. the doctor sent me back with his blessing and is still in the process of trying to figure out how we treat symptoms. it is a huge blessing that so many illnesses we feared might live in me were nowhere to be found. during these couple weeks, i felt showered in love from so many: apparently when you're sick people give you flowers and wow did these brighten up my days!! i also was shocked to see that sunshine...after living in a place where it rarely exists, i just couldn't get used to this daily sighting! 

while home i also got to have a bit of FUN! apparently there's only so much time you can actually spend at the doctor/getting tests done and then you have to await results. so in this waiting time, the Lord had abundantly more than what i could've asked or imagined in store. i got to see some of my Chinese friends from Auburn (who drove 4 hours to see me) and hear about their growing community groups and tell them about my experiences in their homeland! one of my BEST friends got ENGAGED (i guess i better thank michael for that one)...and i got to be there for this sweet weekend with her family and our friends!! and i was able to join the crane clan for our favorite holiday celebration: mardi gras. there truly is nothing like new orleans carnival season!

after two and a half weeks home, i was finally assured i could indeed get on my flight back to the orient and jump back in on what the lord has here! my visit home was unexpected, but the time it gave me with my parents was one of the sweetest gifts i could've imagined...they love me in such a way that i can glimpse how Jesus does; what a treat! they love me enough to know that i was GIDDY to be heading back...i don't think my heart ever truly made it back to nashville as my daily communication and interest centered on this crazy little asian place i've grown to love! before i left i had a precious send-off dinner with my ballin' cool friends, ate chickfila about 5 more times, and headed back "home"! my family over here rode over an hour on the subway to come greet me and it was the BEST reunion i could've imagined. thankful to be back and falling back into the 'normal' of life around here...

anddd we're back: group pictures always include random asians.