finale

Hey there to all you faithful readers....
I'm now officially back in the US, and as such, think that it's probably time for the blog to end. I was at the Global Health Missions Conference this past week and actually was stopped in the halls by a couple of people who I had never met except through the blog -- a funny experience, but also one that made me realize that more people than what I had pictured were reading the thing. So thanks to all of you.

They told me in my 'debrief' that most people will have about a 3 minute attention span for my stories about what my experience in Africa is like; that seems a little bit silly to try to condense it all into 3 minutes and I'm guessing that if you've made it through 200+ blogs then you're probably willing to stick out a bit more of my rambling. I've been trying to come up with some pithy insights, but a comment from one of the people at the conference has stuck with me: "the relationships that I have overseas are some of the most complicated relationships I've ever had in my life." I resonate with that comment as the experience has so many different layers to it.

I was reading Henri Nouwen before I left and he said "no one can help anyone without becoming involved, without entering with his whole person into the painful situation, without taking the risk of being hurt, wounded, or even destroyed in the process." Maybe I've been wounded some in my time overseas, but it's a beautiful scar, and one to treasure, not hide. Some scars open you up deeper.

I hope every one of you will pursue your call to be gloriously wounded that way someday. I am looking forward to connecting with each and every one of you.

Until then.

Matt