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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: GOING HOME (from vacation) (09/03/15)
My first overseas trip was quite unique. I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Israel and to Egypt. I traveled in lands where so many significant people once walked many, many years ago. My senses took in the richness of a culture that literary birthed the faith that guides me in every significant way. I was a young man only a few years out of college and my world had opened up in ways that even today I can only begin to describe. I left seventeen days earlier with my world limited by my American cultural influences and I would now return an older young man with a deepened sense of what it was to be American, to be human, and to be a follower of the Christ.

The last day in Cairo brought a wide mixture of feelings. Each day of the trip had brought its own amazing cacophony of sights, sounds, and pleasures. My long-standing love of history had found an outlet in the richness and depth of the Middle East. I was tired, a little home-sick, but mostly full of all the experiences that had made up a once-in-a-lifetime vacation. I was now looking forward to returning home not only to go back to the comforts and predictability of everyday life, but more importantly I was excited about the opportunity to share with my friends, family, and co-workers so that they would benefit to some degree from all that had happened to me and all that had happened inside of me.

The plane flights on the way over were overwhelming. My longest plane trip previously was the five or so hours from Los Angeles to Boston, but the trip that started in Los Angeles and eventually landed in Tel Aviv, Israel after a couple of stopovers was both grueling and mind-numbing at the same time. There is only so much to do on an airplane and it can work on the mind eventually. The flight home from Cairo, Egypt was so very different. My mind continued to go over each day of the trip and experience anew the richness and depth of each location. Recalling being where Jesus walked or seeing Peter's home or walking stooped through the pyramids of Giza. The travel home seemed to take almost no time at all. As the lights of Los Angeles beckoned on a summer evening, I was happy in every way that mattered.

Arriving home was another whirlwind. I was still living at home; helping my mother take care of my father who was suffering from the Parkinson's disease that would eventually take his life. I stayed up half the night relating to my parents the joys, sorrows, and unique experiences that had been mine. It was great fun giving them the opportunity to experience through me what they had each never had the resources or time to do on their own. My parents had grown up poor and always worked hard. They were determined that I would have more than they had ever had and this trip to the Promised Land was one of those opportunities. I felt rich in a whole new way as I related my joy in seeing so much and in loving it so deeply.

Being new to my company, I had used up all my vacation time to take the trip. I woke early and on little sleep made it through the day. It was exciting having co-workers ask about the trip. I was able to share my excitement about Jesus in a setting where they would actually listen. I soaked up a quick return to normalcy while maintaining the depth of change that had occurred overseas. That night I went to sleep extremely weary, but oh so content. My dreams were filled with powerful memories of another place that are an important part of me even now; a very wonderful return home indeed.
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Noel Mitaxa 
09/14/15
You've covered a lot of geographical and emotional territory here, with so much to tell.
You write with flair and clear enthusiasm, but could I suggest a couple of minor tips:
A few more paragraphs would help us with time to catch our breath.
It may have also been better to focus on one or two highlights and expand on them - leaving the rest for future Challenge topics - so we could enjoy more of this part of the trip with you.