I have realized that the restlessness I referred to in my previous post is gone.  The restlessness that nagged at

me for years, that ebbed and flowed but never completely went away, and that was a large part of making the decision to come to Georgia - I haven’t felt it since I’ve been here.  I don't normally make shifts quickly or easily - so the ease with which I have slipped into life here in Georgia is an unexpected gift.

A year ago, I was still hoping that this move was the "next step" I was supposed to take.  How it would work out on a daily basis, or whether it would take care of the restlessness, was still unknown. 

I need moments like this - when I realize I'm not in the same place I was before.  It's not about moving toward some unattainable perfection or even just "being better."  It's a remembering that enriches my relationship with a Father who loves me enough to walk through all of these things with me, who knows who He created me to be and gently moves me more fully into that, a God who says that bringing the Kingdom is an ongoing journey and He needs me fully engaged and prepared and that i don't have to do that on my own. 

And in this particular instance, the end result is this:  My heart feels at home here.

Even in the day to day shifting of responsibilities that characterizes much of what I do, I don’t find myself wondering about whether there’s a “next step” I’m supposed to take right now.  I still expect to be stretched, to have hard times and easier times.  I think there are ministries and calls that will grow and unfold in unexpected ways and that will require me to step out in faith.  But there's not the restlessness I felt before.

Much of what I do looks “ordinary”.  I am not “on the field” or doing “front lines” ministry in the way that most people would define it.  I don’t have an abundance of pictures that capture the work I’m doing.  I don’t get to hold orphans in my arms on a daily basis or build relationships with those hurting in far corners of the world.  In many ways I could be working in any office in any organization.  

But I’m not working for just anyone.  I am working with Adventures in Missions. 

Stay tuned for some of the reasons why my heart feels at home here …