Purpose

I was thinking this morning about where I'm at mentally/emotionally. Many of my friends describe me as independent and I would not characterize myself as being a homebody, but when you move quite literally to the other side of the world, there are effects.
In orientation for this job, which I used to help lead for new IFS as part of my previous job, there's a discussion on culture shock/ culture fatigue. It's what occurs generally about 3-6 months after you have moved to a new culture. It can present itself in many ways, and varies depending on the person.
Lately, I've been seeing some of these things occurring in me.
I really hoped I'd be some sort of strange person that didn't experience any culture shock, but I knew that I was not above the influence. The newness does wear off, and eventually you begin to miss things from your home culture, and probably most impactful- people.

With that on my mind, I started working on a project at work that has been interesting. It has involved going back and compiling information about the Typhoon and the time after. I've seen a lot of recovery since the first time I set foot in Tacloban in January. I haven't forgotten the pictures from November and December, but I had forgotten just how overwhelming it all was.

I've read articles and reports one after another talking about the devastation, the chaos, and the death toll. I remembered this image that I saw while I was in Boone working on the IMT that ran our response efforts.

(not my photo)

I remember what it felt like the first time I saw this picture of people evacuating Tacloban after the storm. 

I remember reading this article from one of our first staff to get into Tacloban. http://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/divine-purposes/ 

I remember people saying things like "off the scale, and apocalyptic".

I remember the stories of fear and desperation as people fought to survive in the days after the storm when rampant looting and lack of food and water continued the nightmare.

(not my photo)

This is a mild version of the reality of what happened during Typhoon Yolanda. This is a small picture of the catastrophe. One of our staff lead devotions today and in her testimony she kept calling it the tragedy.

This is not what Tacloban and the surrounding areas in Leyte and Samar look like today. Much work from the Filipino people and various militaries, agencies and NGOs has happened and continues to rebuild and bring recovery to the region. 

This is why we are here. We are here to serve and support the people that hung on through tragedy. We are here to help them recover and show them the love of Christ, sharing with them truth and hope. 

I haven't forgotten why I am here and yet, having to come face to face again with some of the most staggering statistics, stories, and images is sobering and motivational. 

I will still go through effects of living in a different world, but I am thankful for reminders, even surprising ones, of my purpose here. 

“Our team has remained encouraged knowing that God will accomplish His purpose here—a wise and sovereign and merciful purpose—and we are part of that.” Aaron Ashoff