Two Places At Once

Have you ever wanted to be two places at once?  I have.  Or at least I've wanted to be able to go back and forth between these two places with ease.  This week so much so that I spent a great deal of time looking into the feasibility of building my own teletransporter.  Let me describe the situation.  I know I am right where I am supposed to be, and I love it here.  It's not easy.  In fact, on the easiest of days, it is the hardest thing I have ever done.    This place is hot, complicated, and confusing.  I still struggle with the language and culture.   In spite of all this, or maybe even partly because of it, I find myself continually drawn to this place, these people.  And when I think about leaving here, I get uncomfortable in my spirit and try to think about something else as quickly as possible.  Yet there are times I find myself thinking about home and what everyone there must be doing, and I'm filled with a longing to be right there.  Don't misunderstand me.  Home is on my mind every day.  Maybe because I receive a letter from someone at club.  Or because I see that the Royals won.  But most of the time, the feelings are not accompanied by acute homesickness just a sweet gladness as I think about the places and people I love.  This week was a little different.  My friend of 23 years gave birth to her first baby, and I was/am really sad that I couldn't be there.   Johansen and I basically grew up at each other's houses so the way I see it I'm basically Eli's aunt on his mother's side.  (Hence the time wasted trying to build a teletransporter.  Because in my experience, a large part of my auntly duties are to spoil this kid rotten.  This is a little hard to do from a distance, but it is something that I have some practice with so it will be okay.)  Anyway.... this week was hard.  I was telling a good friend who is in the same business as me all about these crazy conflicting emotions I was having and she had some really encouraging things to say.  She said this was normal.  She said these conflicting emotions never really go away.  She said this doesn't mean I don't love it here or that I don't love my friends and family.  She said Father was going to use this in my life to teach me, mold me, draw me closer to him, and reveal his glory.  So as I have said over and over the past year -  Praise Him!  There is no sacrifice too small.  Nothing is lost.  He redeems everything.  It is my honor to serve him.  He is worthy!