By Doug Roland.
I'm back home and don't know what to think. We've seen friends, looked at houses, and bought a car. In the busy-ness, we intermittently forgot about where we had been and what we have done. 33 months of our lives seemed like a dream that might have happened to us. Yet, we sense that our lives are not the same. It's confusing to leave a life in South Africa that took 3 years to build then reconnect with my homeland in a new way as a new person?
As part of our re-entry we made a road trip through several states, staying with family and friends. We gave a presentation about our experiences at a family reunion. And, while I think it was generally accepted, very few asked about any details.
Back in Tampa, the usual response was "welcome back". Only a handful of people have asked about what it was like, what did we do there, are we glad we went. Others had fretted about our safety, our diets and our overall well-being, but seemed disinterested in what it did for our souls, our hearts, our new vision of life. A friend of mine who also served in in South Africa for about 4 years described the folks back home as leading insulated lives.
Who we are is measured by what we do. It would be an insult to the people we served in South Africa to re-enter our society as if nothing had changed, just an extended vacation. How do we use what we've learned and experienced?
I think it calls for something bold. Nothing is in stone but we want to challenge others to look beyond their daily lives and consider a life in service and living life to its fullest. There are a few things we are batting around. One is to design and lead an in depth study on listening for the "call" and what it means to act on it. Another is to find ways to bring more attention to the seminary and its importance.
Our aim is to make sure that those 33 months remain a major part of our life history and be a model for others to follow.
