Final Things

Well, it's Saturday night. We leave tomorrow morning. I'm not sure how I feel about that. On the one hand, I'm ready to see friends and family and get back to the life I left behind. On the other hand, this has been an amazing experience. I'm never ready to let go of amazing experiences. So, I'm torn emotionally.
I do know this much: While God wants us to enjoy the experiences, He grows us in the implementation. Discovery without application is nothing more than temporary pleasure. This trip had meaning in and of itself; however, I think the real journey will begin once I get home. There's a lot that I still need to process. I don't know how exactly I've changed; I just know I'm not the same. Clarity would be nice, but I have faith that it will come.
I guess my greatest fear is that I'll have some clarity and that it will soon fade. I think that's a problem that we all face. We get excited about making a change in our lives. It lasts for a while, but then it gets hard and we revert back to our comfortable old habits. I know that's the case in my life.
One of the take-away messages is that of valuing people over things. I want to make that a priority in my life and see what that could look like. There are other pieces to this puzzle, however. I just don't know what they all are.
This has been such an incredible journey. I am so blessed to have had this experience - not just to spend time in Paris enjoying the city and seeing what life and church are like here, but also to get to know this amazing group of women even better. I wouldn't trade this opportunity for anything in the world. God is so good. I want to find rest in that.
Au revoir from Paris. I can't wait to see you all and share this journey with you face-to-face. See you soon!