'Taxi' Time

Well, we did it. We crossed the finish line. We made it to the end of this school year.

*collapses in a heap*

You see, I thought making it through the end of the school year would mean smooth sailing for at least the rest of the month. But, nationwide protests and roadblocks meant virtual schooling to finish out the year and also left my return to MI up in the air.

The protests lasted for about 2 and a half weeks, leaving shops looking bare and gas tanks (both for cars and hot water) nearly empty. It also mean students were not able to get to school, so we finished our end-of-the-year evaluations virtually. Not ideal, but it worked. after that, my concern was getting to the airport, as there were several blocks between me and it.

By the grace of God, an agreement between the government and protesting indigenous groups was reached 4 days before my flight.

My plan was to ride up to Quito with some friends the day before my flight, and spend a relaxing morning and afternoon in Quito before flying out that evening.

And then the taxi stopped moving.

Landslides.

It felt like a slap to the face.

I just wanted to be able to rest. I wanted to lay down and not worry about school or protests. And now, we were stuck waiting for landslides to be cleared.

We waited about 3 hours to be told that it wouldn't be clear until the next morning. So, we stayed the night in the local town and got up the next day to try again.

The landslide from the night before had been cleared, however, the thing with landslides is they often fall multiple times in the clearing process. So, we waited.

4 hours later, we were finally able to pass! We drove for about 15 minutes and suddenly stopped again.

Another landslide.

So we waited there, stuck as the landslide we had just passed had fallen again, meaning we couldn't go back to the town.

5 hours pass, and we finally were able to move. We passed through maybe 4 or 5 other landslides that had been cleared previously as we finally made our way to Quito.

The 4 hour drive took us 30 hours to complete, but we finally made it, and I didn't even have to change my flight.

So, I was able to get a burger in the airport (Happy 4th of July!) and then board my plane at midnight without any difficulty. 10 hours after that, I got to hug my family.

I made it until about 6pm that night, and then slept for 13 hours.

While I have been back physically for about a week, I would say that my head came back to me Monday night. It is not easy process to transition from cross-cultural mission work to a not-so-familiar 'home life' where I am not working.

Cultural whiplash?

That might be how I could describe it.

Not just the shock of how different things are, but the intensity of how quickly things changed. I honestly wasn't sure I was going to be able to make it back until I passed through customs in Atlanta. I did not really process what it would be like to come home because I was so concerned that I wouldn't be able to.

The last 3 months were extremely taxing and left me running on fumes.

I was looking forward to a day in Quito to rest and prepare, something sometimes referred to as 'boat time,' for when missionaries would spend days or weeks on a boat going between different places. As I sat in a taxi for hours longer than I planned to, I wondered if this was the 'boat time' He intended me to have. Not alone in a hotel room (which I may have preferred), but together with friends, united in prayer and struggles, encouraging and being encouraged.

I am right now sitting in the comfort of a friend's living room, enjoying what I remember once being 'normal.' It is not normal now. But that's okay. And I am so blessed by these bits of 'past normal' and the friends who want to spend time with me; so now I get to just sit and enjoy. And rest.

I am so grateful for John, our taxi driver, who did not complain about this trip taking an extra 26 hours. I am grateful for my friends that kept positive attitudes even while we were stuck in a taxi together for much too long with not a lot of food. I am grateful the hostal owner who happily provided food and accommodations for the unexpected stay we had in Baeza. I am grateful that God heard my grumbling and my pleas for the rain to stop, and even though the rain never did stop completely, He made a way for me to get back. I am grateful that His ways are higher than my own.

And now I am grateful for the way He provides for me, not what I want, but what I need, when I need it. I get to rest in His provision and sufficiency.

As I look forward to this time with family and friends, I ask for your prayers for physical, spiritual, and emotional rest. To be filled to the measure by all the fullness of God. To seek Him above all else as the source of this rest.

I ask for prayers for the school, as we go through another transition in leadership and as we prepare for our first graduating class this upcoming year! We are so excited for this monumental occasion. That being said, there is a lot to be done to get there.

I ask for prayers for guidance as I enter into my second year of teaching, discerning if I will sign on for another year after this or if I am being lead elsewhere.

Thank you all for your prayers throughout this year. I truly rely on your prayers as a source of encouragement and a way that God provides for me. I look forward to keeping you updated for another year!

Bendiciones! -Katie