Chicago.

After a lot of traveling by bus, plane, car, shuttle and walking, I am finally back in Chicago for a short time. My travels began on Tuesday night last week with an overnight bus to Lima. I was able to spend the day in Lima with my friends Juan Diego and Rafael before my overnight plane to Boston. It was great to finally make it to New Hampshire for my friend Buck's wedding and find myself surrounded by my closest friends in a beautiful lake house. The wedding was a great time and I also got to enjoy New England a lot by hiking, swimming, and just relaxing. I will admit though, I was going through a bit of culture shock and am still missing my home in Peru greatly. The only chance I had to get back to Boston was on Monday, but my flight was on Tuesday and I was left in Boston without any connections. Of course the Lord provided and I found myself staying with a friend of a friend I had never met before in an apartment overlooking the Boston Harbor and cruising around in his boat for the evening. I was also able to see a lot of the sights around the city during the day and really enjoyed the time just to take it in without an agenda of any kind.

Returning to the States is always a challenge for me, but it is very exciting at the same time to be home again. Most days I wish I could be in two or twelve places at once. I have a little over a week here in Chicago before I board another plane to Haiti. As the excitement builds, so does the reality of getting everything together and preparing myself for this next major step in my life. Now I must find the balance of seeing friends and family, preparing for Haiti, and still continuing everything that is going on in Peru. Good thing the Lord is on my side.