"Don't be sad that it's over, be glad that it happened."

On the way home last night, I rode with my mom and we had a pretty good talk. It was pretty random, but it's been a while since it was just me and her. The conversation started with how, when her and my daddy weren't married yet, she borrowed my dad's car to go on a drive with her friends. The ride ended up with one of the front tires flying from the car and then her losing control. Hehe. That would probably explain the fact that I'm 17 and still don't have a driver's permit. When, at 16, I could've had my license already. Well, in Okinawa, that is. I'm not sure about here in the states...

Anyways.

We ended up talking about the senior trip my class (in Okinawa) is taking to Tokyo, and how we were gonna plan for it- financially, praying about it, figuring out where I'd be in my lessons for school. All just planning for now, but Lord willing, I'll go. Since I REEEAAALLY wanna go :P Please pray for me!

And somehow that conversation led into missing Okinawa (like how many of our family's conversations have been ending..."Aw, So&so in Okinawa did that!" or "Aw, they only have those in Japan!").

About a week or 2 before we left Okinawa to go to the Philippines and then eventually here, a family from our church took me, my sister, and another friend of ours (she was PCSing also) out for dinner at, what I consider, a fancy restaurant. Talk about special treatment! :) Their whole family was a good friend of ours- the dad led the Jr. Church Services, and their kids were close friends of ours. As we were ending our meal, they made us 3 girls feel even more special by giving us gifts and then the dad gave us a little heartfelt speech. He said how we should keep serving the Lord, like we were doing at our church over there, and that there's no church like our church in Okinawa. Hearing that at first... I thought he was right, I loved our church over there- the beautiful music, the wonderful, friendly people, good messages, and so much more. But then aside from that I thought that maybe we're just biased, since it's the church we go to and whatnot.

However, since we came back to the states, I realize that a church like ours in Okinawa really is a rare one. Being in a foreign country, we as a church really felt like family, and everyone was reaching out to everyone, just trying to make them feel as much as home as possible. I remember just arriving there, and the different kind of welcomes we received. Don't get me wrong, I like our church here also and I know church isn't about the people. But it really is different over there.

And now, being back in the US, I realized how I sometimes took for granted the first-hand witnessing of seeing missionaries at work, or the experience of being in someone else's country, one where I can't always order something at a restaurant without making the shape of it with my hands XD... And I realized that missionaries are normal! Before moving to Oki, I just always thought of how different they were going thousands of miles away from family and all things familiar, but after becoming best friends with an MK, our family getting close to several missionary families, playing the piano in a church where all I can understand is "Konnichiwa!"... I realize how they're just ordinary people, that God uses in extraordinary ways...

It was so hard to leave all our friends, missionaries, Filipino group, teachers, schoolmates... All who eventually we considered family... But I know God had a reason for taking us here. And He doesn't make any mistakes. Instead of thinking all we left behind and all that we used to do, I should just be thankful for that time. Not end the friendships, but make them grow. Not stop the service, but do even more. Not dwell on what He "took away," but focus on what He gave and what He's still giving :)

Just a thought♥.