TOUGH TRANSITIONS...

From teaching kids how to swim in the hot, South African, summer, sun...



... to Colorado's "HOLIDAY BLIZZARD 2006"



This past week and a half have been hard for me. I left South Africa a week ago, Tuesday, and after about 26 hours of flying arrived back in my home state of Colorado. I was truly so excited to see family and friends again, and be in the comfort of "home", but I haven't been able to shake this pervading sadness. So much changed in my life in just one day (where I live, the people I spend time with, my job, my physical surroundings, the weather, how I spend my time, and the food that I eat). I am trying to get my feet on the ground and figure out how I fit back into this American culture that I have been so removed from. The truth is, I am mostly just sad. I am sad that I had to leave and say goodbye to the kids that I love so much (and a country that I love so much). It isn't that I am not excited to be home, or excited to spend time with my friends and family (who I also love so much), it is just that I am mourning the loss of what was. Change is hard for me, I think. Perhaps it is hard for all of us. So, I am trusting God and leaning on Him. I have peace about my decision to leave South Africa and come back home-- I know the timing is right. However, the transition is still hard. Some things have been pretty exciting though-- like the recent snow storm, or shall I say, BLIZZARD!
Let me share with you a bit about what is being called the "Holiday Blizzard of 2006"...



The top picture you see is of the door to our back yard (which my mom very carefully opened in order to take the photo). Two days ago it started snowing, and snowing, and snowing, and snowing! The wind was blowing quite strongly and soon the blizzard warnings were in effect for most of the state of Colorado. The snow kept falling and only late yesterday did it finally stop (but only after close to three feet of snow had fallen)! Above is a photo of Dad and I after our attempt at trying to clear away the thick blanket of snow that covered our driveway.




The airport soon closed down (with close to 5,000 holiday travelers stuck inside for the night). The governor called in the National Guard and the Red Cross for assistance. By the end of the night all the highways were officially closed down. This is a picture of our house taken from our back yard!




This is a picture of one of the doors to the outside of the house after all the snow had fallen. Don't think we will be going out that door anytime soon. As of yesterday the blizzard warnings had been lifted and the roads were beginning to be cleared. However, all the malls were shut down yesterday, as well as schools, the postal service, government offices, restaurants, and most other businesses. We were quite literally "snowed in" which made a great excuse to stay in pajama's all day, eat soup, and spend time watching old family videos!

It feels a lot more like Christmas here in Colorado, but I still miss sunny South Africa and the all of the precious kids there from Orphan Support Group. Please keep them all in your prayers as Christmas can be a sad and lonely time (reminding them of what they do not have). Thank you!

Love,
Jen (from snowy Colorado!)

p.s. Please also pray for stranded travelers who have had to spend two nights sleeping on the airport floor in Denver waiting for flights out of town.