Christmas Brunch

Here's the whole clan finally together again for our annual Christmas brunch. This year seemed extra special...

Back Home Again

Well, I've been home for about 5 days now. It's been great just reconnecting with my family this week, and in some ways with them it feels like I was never gone. This coming week, then, I will slowly start the re-entry into my life here, as I'll begin reconnecting with lots of old friends. If that includes you, call me up, and lets hang out!

Getting lots of love from the Edison clan at the airport.

Meeting my new nephew, Wesley James, for the first time!!!

One Month From Today...

...I will be stepping off a plane in South Bend, Indiana! I'm excited and nervous to return home after such a long time away.

I'm excited because...

...I miss my family a lot. I've got a new nephew to meet for the first time, as well as one other nephew and two nieces who have grown up a bunch and need to get reacquainted with their uncle! (I hope they recognize me through all the hair and beard!!!). It will just be great to have the whole family together for Christmas.

...I've got tons of friends back home that I can't wait to catch up with. So many of my friends are great at challenging/encouraging me, and I can't wait to get re-energized just by spending time with them. I'm sure the first month or so back will be absolutely crazy just trying to find time to see everyone!

...I miss American sports. I fell asleep during a cricket match yesterday, and rugby always just reminds me how much better American football is than any other sport on the planet!

...I won't have to live out of a suitcase anymore. It will seriously be great to live in my own house again.

...one word: FOOD! I have plans...

I'm nervous because...

...I have no clue where I fit in anymore. My life feels entirely split in half right now. I couldn't bring Indiana to Africa, and I'm fairly certain that I can't bring Africa to Indiana. I think I will feel out of place for quite a while.

...I've changed. Most people say that when they return home after a long time away, they realize that most everything stayed the same back home, while they changed a lot. Again, it might be difficult to find where the "new me" fits in.

...home is comfortable. I've grown a lot this year by never really allowing myself to get too comfortable (not just in a physical sense, but in a spiritual sense as well). I don't want to get too comfortable again, losing sight of where God is leading me in life. I also think that we all have a default mode--the habits we keep and the way we act when we are comfortable with life--and I would rather not revert back to my old default mode.

There's still a lot to do in my last month here in South Africa, but I would be lying if I pretended like I haven't thought about the transition back home. Please be praying that this next month would be fruitful for my ministry here, and pray that God would prepare me for my transition back home next month!

My Planned Re-Entry Into American Food

I've been in Africa for about 9 1/2 months now, and that's just a pretty darn long time to be away from home. I find myself thinking about home from time to time, and one of the things I'm planning immediately upon arriving in the States is a blitzkrieg on all of my favorite American foods. The following, in no particular order, are some of the foods that I will be dominating upon my re-entry into American society:

1. Giordano's Pizza in Chicago. I have yet to have anything close to good American pizza in Africa.
2. A burrito from Chipotle.
3. Fajitas from Mazatlan.
4. Chips and salsa. I seriously miss Mexican food on a regular basis here.
5. Anything from Taco Bell. I even miss fake Mexican food!
6. A big juicy steak from Outback Steakhouse.
7. My dad's spaghetti.
8. Chinese food from Empire Express (which my friends and I affectionately refer to as "5/10 mini" because when you ask the waitress how long it will take to get your food, without fail she answers "About 5/10 mini").
   
9. Our family's "chicken in a pot" Sunday dinner.
10. Bruno's Pizza.
11. Miriam Wertz' homemade chili.
    
12. The Grand Empire Chinese Buffet.
    
13. My dad's grilled chicken.
14. Wendy's dollar menu.
15. A foot-long sub from Subway.
    
16. My homemade Chinese food.
17. Dairy Queen ice cream. I know it'll be cold when I get back, but I don't care!
    
18. Fruity Pebbles.
19. Jack's frozen pizza.
20. Thai food.
21. A big juicy hamburger. For some reason, they just taste different here.
22. Frosted Mini-Wheats.
23. Wings from BW3.
24. Papa John's Pizza. Seriously, I need pizza!
25. My mom's hot deli sandwiches. Luckily, these are a Christmas Eve tradition!
    

I'm sure this list will be expanding, but these were the first 25 things that popped into my head. With this game-plan in place, there's a good chance that I'll gain about 50 pounds my first week back home, but it'll be so worth it. My mouth is totally watering right now!

Home Sweet Home?

As we chased the sun through Botswana on our way back to South Africa, I had this overwhelming feeling like I was heading home. It's crazy what 8 months in a foreign country will do to you. Sometimes it's hard to even remember what life was like back in Indiana, and "home" starts looking a lot more like a farm out in the middle of nowhere in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Anyway, after traveling extensively across Southern Africa last week, it was nice to hit that border that said "Welcome to South Africa."