Reverse Culture Shock

I have been on over 20 foreign mission trips, but none have affected me on the return trip like the one I just got back from. I traveled to Onitsha, Anambra State, Nigeria in Africa this past October with my parents and two other men from Michigan. I was only there one week, but I cannot get the pictures out of my head. That's not a bad thing...it's just tiring because it's so consuming.
I'm sitting at Panera Bread right now watching others eat their meal with the electricity on and wonder what the reaction would be if we lost power. Would we immediately pray or praise God for His power because that is all we need? Or would we freak out? In Nigeria we lost power at least 30 times while we were there. It wasn't always for a long period of time, but it would go off and on every few minutes and it could have become very annoying. But instead I chose to praise God. To thank Him for flashlights and batteries. And when the batteries died, praise Him for the moon that He made.
Another picture that runs over and over in my mind is sitting in church on Sunday morning....which rolled into Sunday afternoon. We had a 6 hour church service! Now, most reactions would be 'what! that's sooo long' or 'there is no way I'd go to a 6 hour church service'. But I never looked at my watch or thought about the time. God was present and no one was rude enough to leave. Schedules and football games did not preempt time with our Maker. Then why do I sometimes continually check my watch when I'm sitting in church in the States? Why do you?
Since I have returned from Nigeria, my challenge to myself is to see God how I saw Him there. He is no different. He never changes. His love is unfailing. I didn't waste time on petty things. We don't have that luxury...that's not why God created us. We have work to do. I have work to do. Here and in each country God calls me to. Take off the rose colored glasses, put away your palm pilots and let God be your eyes and your pilot.