"Consider the Ravens..."

A year ago today I was on a plane back to the US after 10 very long, full, difficult months of living and teaching (sort of) at Faith Academy.  This June 6 is very different. The 2013-2014 school year ended a week ago today, and part of me still can't believe it's really over.  The kids are gone, most of them to different countries, the staff has dispersed to corners of the city and the world, and I've managed to move everything I own three times in the last week (long story...).  I have another 3.5 weeks before I'm back on US soil for good and many people have asked me lately, "Why are you staying the extra month?  Why not just go back now?  You're done here -- don't you want to be back in the US?" They seem like easy, innocent questions.  Yes, of course I want to be back in the land of my best friends, great coffee, four full seasons, and Spotify.  But I also don't want to rush too quickly out of this season.  Quite frankly, when a season t

I woke up at 3:25 AM today after a fitful night’s sleep that was far too short.   I tried convincing myself to just roll over and go back to sleep, but these days that’s not so easy.   Sometimes the things we know we need to do are the hardest to actually accomplish. All of fourth quarter, my Creative Worship kids have been sort of drifting through classes, often distracted, but always with a positive attitude.   Each Thursday we start with a devotion led by one of the students.   And each Thursday, it seemed like we collectively felt the weight of the end of the quarter pressing heavier every time we met.   I have 6 Seniors in the class who are waking up to their last day of high school as I write this.   One other student in the class is leaving Faith Academy this year to return to another mission field, and I am leaving as well.   There is only one student among the 9 of us who is not leaving, but even he knows the agony of the end of an era.   He’s a survivor of the Yoland