Ellen Rosenberger

We've been in the states just over two weeks.  Usually any "normal summer" is filled with visits to family and friends, a bit of traveling, enjoying all the goodies and treats we can cram in (can you say Dairy Queen blizzards?), and soaking up the time off of school.  Some parts of it are restful and some parts of it are very busy making sure we do everything in the short three week period of time. This time it's a bit different.  This time yes, we are here for summer break but it's also the knowing that we're living in the United States until next June.  It's the remembering that before we left Nicaragua this time we boxed everything up and put it in storage, said goodbye to friends, our home, our dog, Bella.  It's the weird feeling that we're here to stay for a while and that we've never actually lived in the United States together before. There are some benefits to this of course.  We feel less stressed trying to run around and see e...

As we look forward to our furlough (aka: rest/rejuvenation time from the mission field), there are some things I'm excited about!  There are also some things that I will miss about living in Nicaragua. The things listed below are not meant to be complaints or a comparison as to which country is better.  It is simply a way I can express this mix of emotions I'm feeling as this transition nears.  Excitement. Sadness. Relief.  Hope. Nostalgia.  Expectation.  Fears.  Peace.   Being a missionary involves the feeling of belonging to two places and not belonging fully in either place (I guess that is also influenced by the fact that I grew up as an MK).  Hopefully what's shared below gives you a glimpse into what things are going through my mind and heart these days as we prepare to go "home" for a little while. SEE ---  I'm excited about seeing: clean and litter-free streets and public areas our family, face to face (although Skype ...