Reverse Culture Shock & Off to Texas

The beautiful church I call home.

After leaving the Africa Mercy with my mom, I landed in Toronto and got to spend a wonderful week in Toronto visiting my lovely church and church family. I got to share some of my experiences in front of the church (we all know how much I love that) and catch up on all the things I’d missed. I am so grateful to be surrounded by such an amazing group of people who encourage me as I continue to walk in the path God has set before me. The week was spent getting as much wisdom from Pastor Tim as I could, visiting with friends from Staples, and spending quality time with people from church. What a blessing it was to get some solid Biblical teaching during the sermons, Sunday school and Bible Study classes. We are so blessed in North America to have people who are so versed in the Word and who can deepen our understanding of what God has shared with us.

I got to watch my little cousins in action.

I then went home and got to spend two weeks with my family, giving me the opportunity to watch my cousins play softball, take them to a movie, see my sister hard at work, visit my mom at work, have a family BBQ, watch our parliament in action, and just spend some amazing time in their company.

Coming home was definitely an interesting experience. I had a really hard time saying goodbye to Madagascar, and am still struggling through those emotions and missing people. At the same time, I experienced some reverse culture shock as I tried to remember the acceptable social behaviours around things like taking the bus and not greeting every person I met. I also discovered that after living in an environment where there were always people around from the second I woke up, to the second I fell asleep, that being home was very lonely. I would spend long periods of time on my own and it seemed like other people were too engrossed in their lives to bother talking to a stranger. In North America, it seems like we all inhabit the same space but live completely separate lives. Coming from a warm culture where I felt immediately at home, going back to a cold culture was difficult. I also learned that all those things that we think are so important – privacy, long showers, choice of food – became way less important after they were taken away and then given back. I realized I was quite happy without all those things. Once you take away things, people become far more important.

'Home' has taken on a new meaning.

Two really special moments stuck out about my time at home. The first was on my last Sunday at church. Pastor Tim called me up front so that the church could pray for me and send me out. He asked everyone who felt close to me to come up and lay their hands on me, joking that there might not be enough space for everyone. What a powerful moment, to have the church lift me up and send me out. I felt overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit in that moment – such a sense of peace and love and support. The second moment was during a family BBQ where my dad asked me if I would pray for everyone. It was really special to be able to ask God to open their hearts and to work in their lives.

On Friday I left Canada for Lindale, Texas for the start of onboarding. It was difficult to once again say goodbye to people who mean the world to me, especially for such a long period of time. But I am certain that I am where God wants me, and my goal is to wake up every day thanking Him for the daily bread He provides in terms of food, love, shelter, etc. and to ask Him to show me where He is working that day and where I can join in. What’s His plan for me that day? Is it to encourage others? Is it to be in the background? Whatever opportunities come before me, I want to be sure that I am prepared to act on them with the guiding of His Spirit.

One thing I felt God was telling me: There has been one particular thing that I feel God has put on my heart since I left the ship. And that is the idea of discipleship. Long term discipleship, the way Jesus demonstrated in the Bible. He spent 3 years living and walking with His disciples. Its this idea of walking with people in their faith, for 2-3 years, being there for all the highs and lows and pointing to God in all circumstances. When something bad happens, let’s pray about it and ask God. When something good happens, let’s pray about it and thank God. I had a small taste of this when I was in Madagascar, and that’s part of what made it so hard to leave. I’ve been really thinking about staying in one place for a long period of time and walking with others in their faith. Being mentored and mentoring others. However, two years is a long time and we will see what God has planned for me in those two years and where that takes me. It’s just something for me to keep in mind, and I feel like He really taught me the impact that Godly living can have on others, and that He can do great things through us.

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” - Acts 2:38-39