HOMEWARD TO THE CITY BY THE BAY

"Connections", a Christian library

More than three years ago, Don and I went on a 6-month missionary term in Berlin, Germany. That was a very special time, an enriching experience. As precious as that was, our homecoming was just as exciting. We saw a good number of world famous tourist-y attractions, met a lot of wonderful people, had some fantastic German bread, savored Bratworst and sauerkraut as only Germans can make them, learned to make gourmet coffee for the library coffee bar and got educated in the country’s culture firsthand. But by the fifth month of our stay, we were counting the days, then the hours till we would be home in our City by the Bay. As Dorothy has said “There is no place like home.”[1] We think the going-aways make us appreciate home better. This afternoon I was thinking of what I would write about. I came across this letter I wrote a day after we got back from Germany. I thought I’d share it with you.

 29 July 2010

Don and I are still in a daze. Our daughter, Kristy, met us at the airport and it was
such a glad reunion seeing Roc, Shekinah and Jon again. Kristy and Jon did an awesome job of straightening and uncluttering our little condo. They painted, organized, cleaned, changed fixtures, put up shelves. They worked very hard.

Safeway had a sale on Breyer’s ice cream, so Kristy bought a lot as this is Don’s favorite ice cream. We had ice cream in Berlin only twice in the whole six months we were there. Quite a feat for us, if I may say so.

We had a good flight home with no hitches at all. Don had all his foreign money exchanged in London and he was happy about that. I was quite hungry when we got to London, but unfortunately, all the English money he had was the £5 left from our earlier trip to London. Don said he wasn't hungry, so I spent the money on a £4.99 salad which I shared with him some.

As we were coming in for the landing, a stewardess announced that if we looked to the left we would see some of the famous sights of the Bay Area, including Alcatraz and the Golden Gate bridge. I got very emotional! Berlin and all the experiences we had there were precious and enriching, but nothing beats going home. Our processing through Customs and Immigration must have taken all of five minutes. The immigration officer asked how long we were abroad. We told him 6 months, that we had worked as volunteers in a Christian library in Berlin. His response was "Wow, welcome home!" Makes you proud to be American (He did not even notice how brown I was - sunburn and all! It was intensely hot in Salzburg and Vienna that we didn’t get to see many of the sights. We had to stay indoors half of the day while in Vienna. It got to 37 deg, C and I was afraid I would faint if we went outdoors.)

We were so tired and sort of numb because of all the last few days of traveling and preparations for home. Kristy had set up a dinner with Matthew, Helen, Francine and Haley last night. The babies are so beautiful and healthy. Matthew and Helen looked so happy. Roc and Shekinah love their brand new cousins so much. It was such a precious time. Unfortunately, because our inner clocks were still ticking Berlin-way, both Don and I fell asleep while we were visiting in the living room!

It's 4:15 am and I have been awake since 3. The rest of the household are fast asleep. It is still quite dark. I will now have my Quiet Time with God and thank Him for all that He has given us in Berlin- good, loving friends and experiences He has specially carved out for us to bring us more closely to Himself. God is so good!

In Him Who is faithful,

Raquel