... all puppies have to grow up some time (I've been known to carry analogies too far and hang onto them too long). It's as though the blog grew up, grew ugly and was neglected for a great deal of time. But I'm back to pay some attention to it now. I kind of knew this would happen. I mean, to be honest, I was as surprised as anyone to have started off as strong as I did (what was it - two posts in 24 hours??) but I knew I couldn't keep up that kind of stamina for the long haul.
I actually was hoping to write sooner but have had computer problems basically for the past two and a half months. You will never find me without an excuse. And if by some odd chance you do, I'll have an excuse for that as well ... ... ... oh, that was really lame. I'm going to start writing something with meaning now:
I've been back in the States for about 5 or 6 weeks. My homecoming was preceded by a whirl-wind tour of Oceania and the South Pacific (that is to say, Australia, Papua New Guinea and Fiji). I don't have my pictures on this computer to add them to this blog right now, but I'm going to try something that is hopefully in my league and add a link to those I've posted on Facebook. I don't know if that works. I'll try it.
After leaving Hong Kong I stopped first in Australia a couple days to visit my aunt and uncle and two cousins who live just outside of Brisbane. This should theoretically take you to those pictures if we're Facebook friends: Australia.
Then I flew up to PNG to see my parents who have been there with New Tribes Mission for two years. I stayed with them for two and a half weeks. It was wonderful. See here: Papua New Guinea.
On my way back to the States I had a layover in Fiji and decided to schedule my connecting flight for the second day which gave me a night and two full days in Fiji. My reasoning behind that, "Well, it's Fiji." Yes, it was. And it was overrated. I don't mean to be a downer but I just didn't have as great a time as I was expecting. Of course, I went into it trying not to spend any money which means I didn't do any of those fun overpriced excursions and such. Instead I ended up hanging out with a bunch of locals who are addicted to weed. It just could have played out better, that's all.
And now I'm back in the States - in Arizona at the moment. I just applied for my Chinese work visa last week and got that mailed back a couple days ago so I'm all set to return to the country in mid-August. I'll be leaving from LA on the 19th.
I thought that maybe it would be more difficult leaving this time than it was last year. Well, it would make sense because last year it wasn't difficult to leave at all. I was extremely excited and maybe equally naive. It was a new adventure and that's all I takes to excite me (maybe I'm still just a boy). But this year going back to China certainly won't be as novel as it was the last. And hopefully I'm a little less naive this time around, too. Also, I'm seeing my family after being away from them for a year. I've imagined it will be harder saying goodbye for another year this time when I've only gotten to be with them for 8 weeks. And yet ... I'm still excited about going back. I've loved being able to see my brothers here in the States and to live with Steve and Hannah for the greater part of this summer but I think I'll be ready to go back.
And you know what I find really interesting? Some of my friends that I haven't seen in a year ... well, they've not seen some of our mutual friends more than once in the past 12 months even though they live in the same state. So am I really missing out on that much being 7,000 miles away??
(If you're like me and wondering why this is so long and disconnected, it's probably because I'm trying to make up for the past two months of neglect.)
I'll be talking at my church tomorrow. I'm able to share a 15 minute message in one of the services. It's something I'm looking forward to. God was working at teaching me many things over the past year and to have a chance to share some of that with friends at church is a real blessing.
Well, in case I don't get back to this before I leave for China I might add that I'm pretty sure I won't be able to make any contributions to this blog most of the coming year (as long as I'm in mainland anyway). The whole past year I found I wasn't able to open the Blogspot website while in China. It's unfortunate (unless you're one of my readers :), but it's just the way it is.
