home sweet home

I am back from San Francisco. What an amazing week. I was one of the leaders on our yearly mission trip to partner with YWAM San Francisco. I haven't gone the last two years since I had Addelyn and this was my first year "back" as a leader in SF.

'Home sweet home' means a few things to me. First of all, the 'home sweet home' of arriving in SF and being there for the week. Ever since my Dicipleship Training School during college, I have felt at home in the Tenderloin of San Francisco. I love being out on those streets, hearing the stories of people that live there (homeless or non-homeless) alike. I have so much to learn from others and my worldview is stretched every time I set foot in the city. I often sense that the time I feel "most alive" is when I'm connecting with people in the Tenderloin. Hard to explain and understand but it is the truth.

And then there is the 'home sweet home' I experienced when I came home from San Francisco. This was the first time to leave my baby girl for longer than a weekend. Leading up to the trip, I wondered how it would go and when I thought too much about it, I struggled a lot. While I was there, I connected with the amazing people on my trip and honestly had so little time to myself that I didn't have much of a chance to miss Addelyn (too much, of course I missed her). I could hardly wait to see her. Mark too of course! Sunday evening was the first moment of being home with my family. We went to the park and as we chased each other around and played, I thought...'Home sweet home.' Being a mom is definitely another time that I feel most "alive!" I love those moments when you realize something this important!