Viva el Final!

It doesn’t take a genius to recognize that all things must come to an end, for one reason or another. Even for two ambitious world travelers, still with much left to discover, this reality of life has gradually settled in. The grubby soles of our shoes have worn thin, budgeted finances slowly been depleted, and our steadfast endurance of long bus rides / email communication / digging through a backpack / etc. has been substantially diminished. It has truly been a remarkable and life-changing journey. But even so, the inevitable has finally come.

Now that we have been back in the U.S. for well over a month, this update may come as a bit of a surprise. To calm all immediate suspicions, no we are not announcing plans for another adventure around the world! At least not yet. Truth is, our backpacks still lie within easy reach, and our interest in travel and learning about the world is as strong as it has ever been. But we do not find ourselves in the same place as when we started. Throughout the last fourteen months, the dreams and motivations that first set this journey in motion have been transformed and are now taking us in new directions.

One of the things we have enjoyed most since our return have been opportunities to reconnect with family and friends. After the craziness of the Christmas holiday wore off, the two of us spent a week in Harrisonburg visiting college friends and professors. Then the following week, Eric took a trip to Alabama and volunteered with hurricane Katrina relief efforts in the Gulf. He is now back in Lancaster, starting to consider job possibilities, and looking forward to taking a seminary course at EMU Lancaster this spring. Dave has recently taken a job with Franconia Mennonite Conference in Communications and Leadership Cultivation and is excited as he begins this new position. He plans to base himself out of Harleysville until the fall when he will possibly begin graduate school somewhere.

Returning home can often be the most challenging aspect of any long-term travel experience. While there have been moments of discomfort and frustration in the past weeks, as a whole the transition into our home communities has gone relatively smoothly. And we’ll see… perhaps the jury is still out on this issue. But what has already become clear to both of us is the importance of being intentional and engaging ourselves in the things we care about. Just like the broader world, our home communities are full of opportunities to learn and become involved. Should we really have to settle for something that doesn’t bring fulfillment?

As we move on to new ventures, this marks the final Viva el Viaje update you will receive. If you have followed us from the beginning, chances are you received close to 60 of these things on a semi-consistent basis. Hopefully they have provided an opportunity to laugh, think, learn, and if nothing else, be distracted for a few minutes of your day. In the coming months, we plan to do some small presentations, and will continue to make periodic postings and update the website with additional information. It has sort of evolved as the interactive “scrapbook” of our experience, and we plan to keep it available as an online reference for ourselves and others who may be interested.

From the beginning, we have attempted (as much as possible) to share this experience with you, our friends and family. In each of our journeys through life, there is much we can learn from others walking alongside us, no matter what the context. All of you receiving this email have been involved in some way in shaping this experience with us, whether through faithful prayer, encouragement, hosting us in your homes, offering insightful comments, or simply being interested in what we are doing. We offer you our deepest gratitude. This trip has been just as much about you as it has been about us.

There are some endings that are final, and others that don’t really feel like endings at all. As we step out in faith and continue to build upon the experiences of the past year, this particular ending feels more like a beginning. There are always new opportunities emerging and glimmers of hope and truth waiting to be discovered. May God continue to guide us all as we live the journey together.