It’s been rather quiet on our blog. We haven’t forgotten…we’ve just been a bit preoccupied. Turns out it is quite a big task to shut down life in one country, move a family of 4 (plus one dog) 5000 miles, across an ocean, and restart a life in one’s country of origin. That’s what we’ve been doing these past few weeks.
We left Romania on the morning of June 12 and arrived in Columbus, Ohio later (much later with the 7-hour time change) that night…exhausted but with all of our luggage (14 checked pieces plus a dog-in-crate plus 4 carry-ons and 4 laptop bags). Quite a different transition from the days when missionaries used to spend 2-3 weeks on a ship just to cross the ocean. One cool thing about my flight (yes, Mady and I flew on a different flight than Paula and the kids because one airline won’t take dogs in the summer)…we flew farther north than I ever have before, which took us over the southern tip of Greenland. And the weather was unusually clear, allowing me to take some great photos out my window. Look for the glaciers (they look a bit small from 40,000 feet up) in the fjords.
After staying with Paula’s parents for a few days we were able to move into our new home for this year in the USA. God made a way for us to rent a very nice home from some friends here in Hilliard (suburb of Columbus). Matt and Melissa were members and leaders in the church we started and led here in Hilliard prior to our Romania days. They’ve moved to a nearby community to help start yet another new church, and they decided to rent to us rather than sell in the depressed housing market. So it’s a blessing for both families. Thank you, Lord, for this blessing.
So, here we are, adjusting back to a place and culture that seems familiar and yet a bit foreign. They call it “reverse culture shock” (google that phrase to learn more about the phenomenon). One person described the experience as being like putting your contacts in the wrong eye…things look familiar, yet something seems strange about it as well. Yes, that’s what it feels like. Pray for us as we adjust.
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