There are two weeks of school left, so we’ve entered that time that feels like the roller coaster has finally left the tracks and is speeding out of control. We know where we’re heading, but it seems like it would take a miracle to get us there alive… This is a feeling that crosses continents–the end of any school year is always a hectic time. And so it goes: I have tests to write, papers to grade, and boxes to pack. And in two weeks time, ready or not, my first school year in Brazil will be finished.
I finally bought a plane ticket to come back to the states this summer, and I think I got an okay deal. Air travel just gets more and more expensive with the rising prices of gasoline… There are a lot of things here that I’m willing to pay a little more for on occasion because I look at them as luxuries–things like that one dark chocolate bar that I just couldn’t resist the last time I went grocery shopping–but it’s hard to think of flight as a luxury when you’re on the far side of the world and it’s the only practical way you have of getting home…
I will fly into Dallas/Fort Worth and spend a couple of days with my parents. Then, I’ve got to go to Mississippi to attend a two-weeks training for NICS (this is my whole reason for making the trip home this summer–if I didn’t have to go to the training, I probably would have waited until Christmas). After that, I’m going to go up to Minnesota to see Erik and Ruth and their kids, then to Virginia Beach to see Betsy, Jesse, and Hope. I may make a brief stop in the Chicagoland area in transit, and I’m hopeful about a stop in New Mexico. But, a lot of this won’t be finalized until I determine whether or not I’ll be flying or driving around the country this summer. In either case, I’m excited to see everyone. And, I’m excited about getting good Mexican food.
Then, on the other hand, I feel badly about going. I’ve been here for two and a half months; I’m building a life here. And it is very hard to have my friends here making plans knowing that I will miss out on all of them. I wonder how much will change here while I’m away… And, I worry that any progress that I’ve made in Portuguese will be lost (though I plan to study very hard while I’m in the states). Fortunately, whenever I allow myself to get caught up in the confusion of my current situation, I remember that it’s all in God’s hands. I know that he’s not going to drop anything, and that all things will work together for the good.
In other news, my third roommate, Kelly, will be arriving sometime this week. She got her visa at about the same time I did, but she’d taken a job due to the delay and had to wait until she’d completed her contract to come. But, she has to come now rather than at the end of the summer because the visa only remains good if you make entry within 90 days. So, Teresa and I will have another roommate–hooray! Whether or not she’s planning on staying for the summer or returning to states is still unknown, meaning that we’ve heard both recently. If she does stay, Teresa will be here to keep her company.
I spoke at Chapel yesterday for the second time this month. The topic was Christian Community, and I used Hebrews 11 for my scripture reference… So, I think I’ll leave you all with a little of that today.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support,
Amy
These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. Hebrews 11: 13 – 16
And tomorrow night, I get to help supervise the sleepover… I’ll let you know how it goes.