Posted by Megan
The past month has been a whirlwind of emotions. This is the primary reason for wanting to write so many blog posts yet not finding the energy to process all the emotions. As you can see from the mix of stories today, there were some high highs and low lows. Although many of these feelings are part of normal life, ours are compounded with all that goes with living in a culture not our own. I didn’t fully realize until yesterday that the adjustment back into one’s “home” culture is longer than the adjustment to a new culture. I guess that sheds a little more light on the year 2008+ for me (when I moved back to America, got married, and experienced dozens of other life changes). Thus, this means we are only in the beginning of the adjustments we face as we prepare to move back to America in September. It begins with the good-byes which have begun already. It is a unique situation in that only those who have been through it fully understand it. But an extra prayer or two specifically for the issue would be much appreciated even if you have no idea what I am talking about. You can start praying now and keep praying it for the next 1-2 years (not kidding!). So after you say a little prayer for us, you can read up on what’s been happening this month.
English Parties - Parties are fun…don’t get us wrong, but when it means the last of many good times…well, they aren’t as much fun. At the end of May, we wrapped up our English classes in Tbilisi and Gardabani. We miss all those kids! We missed them so much we already had a small get together with the ones in Tbilisi last weekend and visited the church in Gardabani so that we could see some of the kids. They are all special kids and young adults, and we grew to love them more than we ever imagined when we decided to teach English last fall. Trust us…it’s not our “gifting” and not our favorite thing to do, but the relationships we built with the students was more joyous than we ever imagined. We have so many special memories with them! The Tbilisi students put together a photo book with pictures and letters from all the students. We are really going to treasure that gift for years to come!
America - Immediately after wrapping up English classes and some other activities, I (Megan) was on a plane headed for America while Wade held down the fort in Georgia. It was Wade’s first time to be in Georgia without me, but he handled it just fine. I was able to go back for a very dear friend’s wedding in Ohio. I spent a week with Kimberly helping her prepare for her big day. I spent the rest of my time visiting my family and a few other friends. The most special time was the day I was able to visit my Grandma Potocnik (my father’s mother). She was ill with an infection and in the hospital most of the previous month. It was truly a gift from God that I was in America at that time because my Grandma died just 6 days after I visited her and only 2 days after I arrived back in Georgia.
Grandma - The passing of my Grandma is sandwiched in with all these other posts, but I don’t mean to diminish her importance to me. There is something about the fact that I could not be present for her funeral that made it difficult for me to find it in myself to write a post about her immediately after she died. I wanted to, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. It was the biggest gift God could have given me that I got to be with her one last time before she died. That is more important to me than having been at her funeral. However, it was strange to process it from here and not with my family. Wade was a good support through it all, and I was able to talk to my parents a few times that week. I will write a separate post as a tribute to her.
Anniversary - In happier news, Wade and I celebrated our 4th anniversary this month! We enjoyed a lovely evening at an outdoor Georgian restaurant. It was the perfect temperature and atmosphere surrounded by the trees. Dinner was delicious too! We came back to our apartment for some brownies (with Reese’s Peanut Butter chips…a special find in America) and ice cream. It all made for a lovely evening together!
Street Kids Ministry - It’s that time of year when the street kids’ center closes for the summer, which meant some tearful good-byes to our dear little friends and partners in ministry. We were completely humbled as the kids circled around us and prayed for us. Wow…it was a moment that we will hold dear to us! The others who help at the center gave us a book about Georgia and wrote special notes to us as well. We feel quite loved!
Moving - We are packing up already! Our activities in Tbilisi have wrapped up, and we are moving to a new location for July and August. We will be in the city of Telavi (where we helped with children’s church back in April). We are really looking forward to all that God has in store for us there.
