I am fairly certain everyone has heard the phrase "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" or at least the same phrase but a different local. We joked on the trip that what happens in South Africa stays in South Africa. (For more detail on that see Steve Mok).
We are two or so days back and it is obvious to me that what happened in South Africa cannot, will not, and should not stay there. In some ways it would be much more convenient or less painful if things would stay put, but last time I checked God did not call us to a convenient, painfree life. He called us to care. He called us to go. He called us to serve. He called us to love. Nowhere in this calling did He say quit when you get back home.
This trip has been various things to different people, we all view things through different filters. I look back on everything and see how God hand-picked each of us to be there. It is scary when I realize that each one of us had a specific role that God was grooming us for since we began our separate lives on this earth. Each person had a role in Africa, on the team, corporately, and individually. The lives we touched and the lives that touched us are forever woven into a beautiful tapestry that will only be fully appreciated with the passing of time.
It is hard coming home. I am blessed with a beautiful wife who understands this. I wish everyone understood this but it is something only understood by those who have experienced it.
I left a part of myself in Cape Town and I brought a part of Cape Town home with me. (Unfortunately part of what I left there is my voice due to some mystery illness) It would be a sin to compartmentalize the experience and ignore the changes, feelings, and dreams that come along with the travel.
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
What happens in South Africa stays in my heart.
Ethan
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