Amerika'ya geldim!

As of 12:50 P.M. EDT today, I am back on American soil! It was nice to be home and eat tacos with my mom tonight; I don't think the weight of what just happened has sunken in yet.

My final few days in Istanbul were, well . . . heavy. Sure, I had a lot of people to see, errands to run, gifts to buy, and food to eat (!), but it was just the weight of knowing that I may be seeing him/her/it for the final time. Every step down the street, every bite of food, every minute with students or teammates left me winded, almost stripped of breath, trembling with bittersweet. I'd love to go back--and soon!--having given some two years of mine for the life of the city. When stuff like that happens, you just can't part so easily.

I'll miss you, all my fellow servants from this year.

I'll miss you, all you Turkish people, students or otherwise, who have touched my life and, hopefully, whose lives I've also touched in some way.

I'll miss you, Bosphorus, with your enchanting blue waters.

I'll miss you, Istanbul, as your windows flicker among the hills at nighttime.

I'll miss you, UCI, and the taste of heaven you've been (Revelation 7:9-10).

I'll miss you, brothers and sisters in the Lord, as you continue faithfully clinging to the gospel and mercifully offering its light with open hands to those around you. "Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown."