So Here I Am. Now What?

Yep. You heard right. I'm back in the States. Yes, for a while. No, I'm not leaving to go back to Ukraine in a few weeks. Yes, I'm going to Poland this spring. No, I'm not moving there right now. Or anytime in the near future(that I know of). Yes, I'm pleased to be here. Yes, I miss being in Ukraine. No, I'm not leaving IM and going back to being a musician. Yes, I still need support(actually, I need a lot more now). Yes, I still very much believe in Staff Care and am very excited to be doing the ministry I'm doing and getting the training that I'm getting. Sigghhhh.

Lots of questions- all very valid- all asked over and over and over again. Sometimes I get really frustrated by the repetitiveness of them, but then I stop and think, "How selfish. These people care for you. That's why they're asking." And I realize that all of this(not knowing answers for months, moving back to the States,etc.) is quite confusing to many people and probably will be for some time. And the selfish part of me hopes that this time of confusion passes quickly, but I know that it won't, because I'll continue to be in and out, here one day and gone the next. So I thought I would try to provide some clarification for those who already know a bit of what's happening and an update on the outcome of my meeting with the heads of IM for those who don't know anything about what's going on.

-Charlotte will be my home base. I'll travel from here.
-I'm continuing to serve with IM, concentrating on Staff Care
-This year I'll be traveling here in the States a lot: for my own debriefing, for debriefing training, to meet the new directors and students at the training center, for staff care conferences, for counseling training, to do short-termer trainings for our summer camps overseas, and for my own support raising
-I will continue to travel overseas. This year I'll go to Poland for 3 1/2 wks. in the Spring and most likely will be in a couple of countries in the summer for English camps and to spend time with staff.
-I'll concentrate on traveling for support raising in the Fall(I need to raise about $1000 more per month)
-Over the next couple of years, I will hopefully begin to transition into some other areas of service within IM. We'll see how all of that unfolds.

I'm not saying that I'll never live overseas again. If God leads, I will follow. I feel very strongly, however, that He has led me home for this period of time. I've spent months seeking Him and seeking answers regarding the next step. I quite honestly thought that I would be in Poland, but God has brought me home. And now that I'm here, I see so much good in it and am so thankful for his being my Guide. My time in Odessa was invaluable to me and I pray that I'll learn just as much in this next season of following Him.His goodness is everlasting and His mercy never fails.