Summer Summary

This summer, I visited family and friends in three continents, 8 cities and took 11 plane flights.
Singapore
Three days before the school year ended, I broke my foot. Thankfully friends that live close to school let me stay at their apartment so that I could get a ride to school more easily. Once school was over, I stayed in Singapore for another week. I was very grateful for this week in which I was able to get accustomed to using crutches, take my time cleaning out my classroom, rest and spend some time on my own.
Then, I flew to Chicago through Seoul, South Korea. I was so grateful that our school nurse was on the same flight from Singapore to Seoul, since I was nervous about traveling with a broken foot.
Chicago
In Chicago, I spent 2 weeks with my brother, his wife and four kids and my sister. We spent many nights staying up late playing games or watching movies.
One day my sister took me shopping and I was trying to push myself around in a wheelchair and got stuck between clothing racks. She also took my nephew, niece and I to Indiana to visit our grandmother for 4 days. It was fun to watch my uncle take the kids out to drive tractors and bale hay.
I went to the hospital and got my crutches and caste replaced with a boot to walk it. After 4 weeks where I had not walked a step, it took a while to adjust. 
During this time, I started reading Nehemiah. What an amazing book, full of God's work and goodness and a reminder of our job to respond as Nehemiah, with prayer, diligence, and preparedness to fight the enemy.
After this visit, I flew to Memphis, Tennessee for a conference nearby in Mississippi.
Memphis
In Memphis, I learned more about what it means to be a Third Culture Kid (TCK) and how I can help other TCKs who are growing up with so many challenges and opportunities. I met a wonderful woman named Libby Stephens, who has a huge passion for TCKs and was grateful for her insights and understanding.
I was challenged by those around me as well. One thing most TCKs struggle with is fitting in to a culture. However, when I get to spend time with other TCKs and talk openly about the struggles of a TCK, I often forget about those around who do not relate to this experience. I forget that we are all human and struggle in different ways. I forget that they may want to fit in to the TCK culture when that is the dominant culture, just  as I want to fit into their culture under other circumstances.
During this time, we studied 1 Peter 1. I was reminded that we are elected to be strangers- not to belong in this world, so that we can obey Christ and spread His word throughout the nations. Through this there are struggles, but we are called to put our hope in Jesus Christ, no matter the circumstances.
Colombia
After not seeing my dad's family in 5 years, I got to see all but one of my cousins and meet two cousins that I had never met before. What a blessing that was! My family went to the beach and enjoyed beautiful waves. While at the beach we stayed at the hotel where a beauty pageant was going on.
During the last two weeks of my time in Colombia, I got to see the great ministry that my parents have in Colombia. My dad is teaching at the seminary there and I only heard great things about his class. More importantly, however, both my parents have a huge ministry with the students they live with on the seminary campus. They often have students over to their house for meals, they have provided some students with work, and are building relationships to invest in the lives of so many students hungry to know more about the Lord. What an amazing privilege it was to see my parents who have gone through so much and know the Lord so deeply being able to invest in these students who are so thirsty for Him.

In general, this summer has been a huge blessing in allowing me to rest after a hectic year in Singapore. Besides what I have already written, something I have been reflecting on all summer has been the following:
I will never belong to a place or community on this earth completely. Even within my family- my extended family keeps asking me when I will come 'home' to live and my immediate family does not always understand why I don't come live closer. I'm a Colombian who speaks with an American accent, an American who does not understand the worldview of the American culture. I have lived in Australia and Japan, but know very little about either culture. All this is a great privilege that I have. The privilege of understanding the outcast, the privilege of reaching the nations, the privilege of living by faith in a heavenly home, rather than relying on an earthly home.