I went from living in one suitcase to living in another.  I’ve currently been in Canada for 6 days now, and haven’t been home for one.  Instead, I’ve been travelling through Alberta and B.C. for one of my youth ministry classes.  I went from travelling around the world and visiting organizations to travelling nationally and visiting youth groups.  Once again, learning more about ministry – just in a totally different context.  It’s an amazing opportunity, but honestly, it’s also quite overwhelming.

Reverse culture shock comes in so many different forms.  It’s hit me from the left, the right, the top, the bottom, and from the inside out.  Most of the time, I feel like I’m just in shock.  There is a lot to take in – both in this trip and in culture.  I picture my mind like a giant bowl of cookie dough right now (mostly because I love cookie dough!).  I keep dumping in more and more ingredients, but I haven’t had time to mix them together.  They haven’t had time to produce delicious cookies.  It’s just a pile of flour on top of some butter, with a little bit of sugar mixed in.  All good things if they are used to make something beautiful.  The more and more I add in, the harder it is to mix.  But cookies are coming.  Just a few more days, and I’ll have all the time to mix.  In the meantime, I’m thankful for God’s patience, understanding, and unconditional love ❤