Welcome Home!!

Our arrival in Portland came in stages: a few weeks with our family in Germany, a night spent with our good friends Jeremy, Carlie and little Hazel Culver in Seattle, and then a final descent into the city of roses via the train. The three hour train ride turned into five, which seemed fitting for our slow entry back into "normal" life. At first sight of the cityscape my heart filled with joy and the excitement just continued to build as we stepped off, saw my dad with roses and champagne, and headed into southeast Portland for burritos at Dingo's (yes, I  knew exactly what I wanted for my first meal in town - a sashimi tuna burrito with Dingo's special slaw).

Our transition back thus far has been great. We've been welcomed by our family and friends with loving arms and already taken in the refreshing beauty of Oregon's backcountry and running trails. I'm thankful for the time in Germany with my Oma, aunts, uncles and cousins, a place to rest, eat good food, hike around Westerwald, and even a quick jaunt to the Austrian Alps to visit Joe & Jenn Nydahl, good friends from our home church. With all this, our culture shock has been minimal and we're especially thankful to finally unpack our bags and settle...just for a bit. A big thanks to Brad & Kindra Hakala for letting us stay in their condo while its on the market. It's the first time Rick and I have been alone for almost a year! 

For the next five weeks, Rick and I will be spending time with family (his parents are flying in today for a quick visit!) and friends, celebrating the marriage of my longtime friend Laura and her fiance Dan, visiting with all the people who helped make our year in Adjumani a reality, and catching up on life in general. After that we pack our bags once more, and hopefully for the last time in a while, and begin our trek to Ohio. True to the name of our blog "Life in Transition," we continue to find ourselves in that place, and we hold onto the truth that our heart's home is in Jesus and He goes wherever we go. Our move to Ohio brings us closer to Rick's family, to a job with the family business, and hopefully to a family of our own. At this point we're looking at 3-5 years there and hope to return to Portland in the future.

Our hearts are with the people we've left behind and also those we're with today. The question now is how do we take what we've learned and experienced and realistically apply it to the way we live. We wrestle with ideas of wanting to live simply, in such a way that we can more freely give to those in need, be it our next door neighbors or across the world neighbors, and also that we would be willing and able to go again wherever and whenever God calls us.  So for now, we wait for the dust to settle and continue seeking after God in where He has us for each day. This blog will continue to be a place where we share ideas and stories, they just won't be as exotic as they were before. Rick and I thank all of you for journeying along with us this past year, for your prayers, encouragement and love. We hope to do the same for all of you!

P.S. The work of loving and supporting the people in Adjumani still continues. Check out Jeff & Michelle's, Jaclyn's, and Erin's blogs. The links are on the right hand column