The Return to Real Life [sunday]

The end of the trip came all too early... soon everyone was packing their suitcases and preparing to leave early Sunday to head back home.  Saturday night into Sunday morning was filled with the sounds of zipping suitcases, photo DVD duplication, conversation, and eventually snoring by certain members (a few of us never actually went to bed...).  Pretty soon we were piled in the Yukon and Pathfinder for one last time, and headed down the mountain into Tuxtla, home to the airport that would begin most everyone's trek home, and back to real life.But what, really, is real life?  Simply a passionate pursuit of God Himself.  Sometimes, even often, it includes the routine, mundane, and seemingly ordinary activities of life.  But those activities, though often confused and labeled "real life", are not "real life" in and of themselves.  They are simply stepping stones in life that carry us through our journey of pursuing God.  So do we ever "return" to "real life"?  Or do we just become more conscious of the "real life" around us?  Are we growing ever deeper and more fully into making true "real life" our own "real life", day in and day out?Right now I sit alone in "our" apartment in San Cristobal, where I remain for the next couple of weeks.  The silence was rather startling at first, but I sit here happily remembering our good times together... team devotions, car ride conversations, kid's programs, water filter installations, jungle cooking, illness, shopping, funky bug bites, construction work, and team outings.  Through it all we grew closer to God, developed new friendships, and were challenged both personally and as a group in new areas.I love this team... lizards and all! :-)-Amy C., for the 2010 Chiapas adventurers