When last I updated you, I was under the impression that I might be a bit bored during my month-long break from teaching. It turns out, I was anything but bored.
October got off to an interesting start. Omtei and I attended an all-night worship service from the evening of September 30th to the morning of October 1st. What an incredible way to start off the month! At the outset, I wondered how I would manage to stay awake all night (I’m sneaking up on 30 rather quickly, and was never big on all-nighters, even in college) or to sing and pray for 12 hours straight. It turned out to be an invigorating experience, and I was able to connect with God in a way that I haven’t in quite some time. It was an amazing experience to worship Him through the night, and keep singing as the sun came up on a new day, and it set the stage for a wonderful new month.
The first week of the month was spent hanging out with a new friend, Isak, and his mother, Vani. Vani was a missionary in Nepal for over thirty years, and she and Isak both have training in intercessory prayer and spiritual counseling. They are true kindred spirits, and it has been a blessing getting to know them.
My parents arrived on the 7th, and I had a lovely time with them. One priceless thing about their visit is that it helped me to see how much I’ve learned and grown since I’ve been here, and how comfortable I’ve become since my little bout of culture shock and homesickness. Even though my parents have been here multiple times, it was fun to show them the parts of the city that have become special to me, and to introduce them to my friends. They were impressed with my ability to get around, and the way that I am able to walk down the street dodging people, cars, and motorbikes, all while watching out for uneven pavement and sudden drops into staircases. I’d forgotten how difficult that was for me not so long ago.
We spent the second week of their visit at Burrows Memorial Christian Hospital, in neighboring Assam. We had a great time with our friends there, and even got to eat real pizza at Domino’s one day when we went into town! By the end of our visit, though, I was really excited to get home, to Aizawl. The realization that I was thinking of Aizawl as home was a pretty big deal to me. The drive back was long, and I was feeling carsick, but I had such joy as we approached familiar territory and I began to recognize the neighborhoods and buildings, and even saw a friend of mine walking down the street.
Last Tuesday when I took my parents to the airport, I was doing a good job of staying strong, until my dad hugged me and said how proud of me he is. I lost it and started bawling. Truth be told, I’m kind of proud of me, too.
On Friday I purchased another one-way ticket; this time home, to America. I’ll leave here December 20th, and arrive home the next day. I’m excited to see my family face-to-face, hold my little nieces, and spend Christmas snuggled up with my kitty in my nice warm house, watching cheesy Hallmark movies with my mom. But, I recognize that I'll probably miss seeing my Mizo family and friends, playing with Zuala, and snuggling in my bed, talking with Omtei 'till all hours of the night. I’m realizing now that I will never again have the luxury of keeping my heart in one place. I’ve got ties here in Aizawl, and I won't be able to stay away for long.
