Back on Base

Team Sherpa is back in New Zealand! Sort of... six of us got in last night (Thursday) and Gabriel and Kaison will be flying in on Sunday night. Their lives for the last few days have consisted of running around between embassies, consulates, police stations and the airport. It is quite the tale. Unfortunately I don't have time to tell it in much detail. We were quite sad to leave them behind at the last minute when we flew out but we have witnessed a succession of mini miracles (mildly supernatural events, as Kaison would call them) since then. They've had some really cool witnessing opportunities while they've been there and Kaison now has the privilege of being the first person that the Mumbai consulate has ever issued an exit stamp to without proof that he entered the country legally. (The funny thing is that we accidentally entered the country illegally the first time and had to cross the border back into Nepal and then back into India again.) It was such a novelty for the Indian government that they even got them to sign the guest book.
As for our half of the team, all of our travels went so smoothly and efficiently. It was great to meet up with two of our other YWAM teams in Bangkok on our 12 hour layover and then all fly back to New Zealand on the same flight.
It's been almost 24 hours since we got back but it still feels kind of surreal. It's like coming home. Everything is so clean and fresh and peaceful. I took a real shower. I washed my laundry. I drank from the tap. I'm breathing air that isn't thick with smog or marijuana. Is this real?
It's Friday afternoon right now and we will be resting all weekend. Monday morning we begin a final week of lectures and preparation for "real" life. I think we're going to need every minute of that.