24 hours later...

Well, 24 hours after I left my parents' house in PV, I made it to my house in the village. I stayed awake and watched 2 movies on the flight, and then realized how horrible of an idea that was. I sat at Haneda Airport in Tokyo for about 4.5 hours before boarding another plane to my island. As I sat IN the airport in Tokyo, I could feel the heat & humidity--GROSS. I kept hoping that it wouldn't be miserable weather in the village.

I fell asleep before the plane even took off. I woke up halfway through the flight and opened my window. I thought we were flying over Hawai'i. Teal blue water. Not a cloud in the sky. Everything was lush and green. It was BREATHTAKING. I got off the plane to PERFECT WEATHER. Sunny with a slight breeze. Rode the train with the window open flying through the wetlands and breathing clean, fresh air again. I sat there and thanked God for letting me live in such a beautiful place. When I came back after Christmas, I thanked God for the same thing. Maybe it's His reminder that He's still going to take care of me.

So now I've been home for about an hour. My house is dusty, but everything is where I left it and the fridge still has no food (shocking). The clothes are put away and I'm slowly unpacking the rest of it. I came home with an enormous empty suitcase. I managed to fill the entire thing AND still needed a knap sack and backpack. I made it through with 19.9 kg in Tokyo. I started pulling things out that I bought over the last 3 weeks in LA.

• Cream of wheat
• Dried tortellini
• Arm & Hammer baking soda
• Pyrex measuring cup
• Meat thermometer
• Spice grater
• Pillow cases
• Children's books
• Teacher posters
• A bag of snack size Twix bars
• Gallon size Ziploc bags
• Big Ziploc containers

Odd things. They add up over 3 weeks. Just throwing in a little here and a little there. Then you realize you're overweight. Not only that, it's impossible to carry a backpack, knap sack, and extremely overweight duffel bag up and down stairs. I wanted someone else to carry it for me, but no one was going to lug my enormous, obviously heavy duffel bag up the stairs.

But I think that's like life. Little things here and there add up. Parking ticket. Unexpected change of plans. Fight with a friend. Fight with a parent. Fight with a sibling. Rejection. Failure. They add up. And we keep throwing them into our duffel bag. No one else wants to carry your baggage--everyone has their own to carry. Everyone but Jesus. But how stupid would it be if I held on to my bag while Jesus tried to carry it for me? It defeats the purpose of having Him carry it if I'm still holding on, trying to carry it for myself. Maybe it's about time to let go.

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." JESUS (Matthew 11: 28-30 ESV)