checking in

wow… it has been quite awhile since i have updated! i suppose that’s what happens when you live on a ship with horrendously slow internet. it’s also what happens when you sail to regions of the world where every bit of communication you send/post/speak is scrutinized in detail.

for those who aren’t aware and who check in on this here blog from time to time, i have returned and am now living on american soil.  772 days after the Lord led me from my home he led me right back. i flew from dubai to atlanta, arriving around 7:00 in the morning on february 20th. i spent 4 days at the home office there, sleeping, debriefing and crying (yes, crying!) before flying back to chicago on february 23rd. it has been so good to be home, catching up with family, friends and supporters over the past month. it has been interesting to share experiences with everyone and think back over everything God has taken me through over the past 2+ years… i am hoping to do some “looking back” reflections on this site as part of my re-entry processing and just to share with all of you some more about what i was doing while so far away from home. just to give you an idea, here are the statistics of my time away –

i visited 34 countries.
i sailed 23,284 nautical miles.
i crossed the atlantic ocean 2 times.
i trained 486 port volunteers and crew members for ministry.
i saw 1,319,497 people visit the ship.
i saw 95,510 bibles put in peoples hands.
i saw countless lives changed by God.

including my own.

 

now that i am back in the U.S. i am doing a few things in addition to reflecting on my time away…

i am living at home with my mom and stepdad.
i am looking for a job in the chicagoland area.
i am cheering on Butler in the NCAA tournament and understanding the meaning of the word “madness”.
i am planning my wedding.

🙂

 

yes, it has been quite an eventful two years indeed! i look forward to sharing about more of the past and the future with you on these pages. thank you for following my journeys and taking such an interest in my life. i am so grateful for your support and prayers over the past two years and even now.

thank you.