Jet Lag

[posted by: claire cecil]


I came to Thailand with a list of things I had prepared to write about on this blog. As the originator of said blog, I thought it would be a good idea to jot down what I'm noticing about the Thai people (a superficial assessment, I'm sure) and what I observe about the missionaries here who have literally given up everything in America to come live here for the sake of the gospel. Now, I'm not so sure I want to divulge exactly what I'm thinking. I can talk ad nauseum about what we're doing (see Liz's post below) and how it's meaningful. The meaning however resonates in the moment that that event is happening--i.e. working with Num on her English lessons--and then deepens and becomes richer in the moments after the event is over. To use a colloquialism, the meaning sinks in. The meaning is indeed sinking in. It's like jet lag; you get on the plane and fly across the world and you're tired. Tired from sitting so long in one position wishing you had splurged for those extra five inches. Then you stay awake in this new time zone which is the opposite of what you're used to. You don't really feel tired. It gets late. The delirium starts to set in. Your censor is off. Things are suddenly hilarious that would have only evoked a chuckle before. Then, finally you collapse in your bed, realizing how tired you really are. The jet lag sinks in. I'm still processing everything that happened yesterday waiting for it to sink in. For me, that means waiting to process those events and form a resolution, make a decision, hear God in His soft voice whisper to me His will and obey.