There's a little confession I should make. For the past five months, the pictures and video clips you've seen on this blog were not up to date pictures taken from my camera. My digital camera has been M.I.A. since disappearing from my backpack on a long and windy (but beautiful) bus trip through the mountain passes to the city of Luang Prabang. It's been through the use of other people's cameras that I've been able to get the pictures to you (this blog entry is no different).
Now approaching one month since my departure from Thailand, I have to rely not only on others' cameras for a picture, but now the pictures I do see of Thailand are of a place that I'm no longer seeing with my own eyes.
Really, the transition of moving "out of the picture" has been a long one that began back in January when I officially decided not to return for a third year with the mission. Since then, it was a gradual process of transitioning my work role so that at the time of departure, there would be none of my job responsibilities remaining that were still dependent on my presence. My notions of how to achieve this were of course subject to God's timing, and His timing blew mine out of the water. I didn't expect to have to say so many goodbyes to others before goodbyes were said to me. I didn't know I'd be moving out of the dorm a month before leaving Thailand to make room for someone else as part of the downsizing of rented facilities for the mission (though I'm certainly thankful how God used that to prepare me to leave). And I didn't know that no matter how hard I tried to prepare myself mentally and spiritually to make my exit from Chiang Mai, the final moments with my Christian family there could still be so bittersweet as they passed by.
On the flip side, the past month has been great to get back "into the picture" of life here in Wisconsin. It's been a mix of taking care of the big-ticket items like moving into a new place, securing a means of transportation, and piecing together a plan for employment, along with spending time with family and taking excursions nearly every weekend to visit with friends. I am very happy that I'm relearning how great Wisconsin summer culture is: from the outdoor concerts and picnics, to spending time out on the lakes and rivers, to the brats and burgers (and Sundrop) consumed.
As I continue my transition back to life here, I am thankful that I have many pictures to remind me of the blessings that God brought into my life through Thailand. I am grateful that my video camera was repairable (after having fallen into a swamp with it last summer while trying to cross a makeshift bridge made of two bamboo shoots), so I'll be able to view and edit videos I took in my first year in Thailand and continue to post items to this blog that will help put together a picture of life in Thailand. And I'm looking forward to using this blog to my give my friends in Thailand a picture of what's going on here in Wisconsin.
Until then, God's blessings to you.
-Eric
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