The Mountains Are The Same

The view from my house is still the same. The plaza downtown still has the same hustle and bustle around it. The mountains look the same. My dogs are the same-- fatter, but the same.

Everything is the same.

It's as though time has stopped and gone back, and I've simply returned home. I was shocked at how normal and unchanged everything is because as a missionary kid, it's a hazard of the lifestyle: constant change. So to return home and find your host country deliciously the same, is almost too good to be true! When you leave, you have this foreboding feeling that things will never be the same. It's comforting to find that some things remain constant. Thus far I haven't done much but I am looking forward to a trip into the big city this weekend to visit a couple who co-hosted the Re-Entry Retreat that helped so many of us prepare to go back to the U.S.

Tonight I am going to dinner with one of my friends and mentors from the local YWAM base, and we are going to catch up and discuss when Winston and I can go over there to volunteer. I'm excited to see how the base has changed and grown however there is a very bittersweet moment to going. If you keep up with my Facebook, you may remember when I was frantically posting almost every day imploring prayer for the base leader for my hometown as he battled cancer. Sadly, he lost that battle. And I am a little hesitant to see how it is there without him... His smile, jokes and openness eased many people into trusting him and he deserved the trust. He is greatly missed.

On a practical note, I am still raising funds to pay off my ticket down here and I am lacking $400. Thank you to everyone who donated so far! It means a lot to me. And if I can impose more, we are needing to take one of my dogs back to the States when Winston and I returned on the 21st July. This is one of the purebred Brittanys that we originally brought with us here but she is aging and does not do well in the weather and bugs here so it has been decided that it would be best to bring her back. I am budgeting and looking and stretching my money as much as I can to do this myself, but as most of you know, I'm not rich. I need help to make this happen. I have researched it ever since I got here on Wednesday and I have found out all the papers I need and the most likely cost of transporting her (vet bills, plane ticket, carrier) will be $325. This would mean in total, I am asking for $725. I think is a lot! But I am trusting that God's will can be done in this and that regardless of what happens, it will all work out for His glory in the end.

Please pray as I try to navigate the waters of finding a reliable vet, getting the papers, carrier, etc for this trip and for the funds. If you can and are willing to donate, you can click on my PayPal donate button on the top right of this page or go to my GoFundMe page. My plane ticket page which still needs $400 is at: http://www.gofundme.com/ad0ha0 and the page to donate for bringing Gabby home is: http://www.gofundme.com/atmoq0

Thank you for your thoughts, prayer and donations!