I'm sure you've all heard by now that we arrived safely in Grand Rapids, even if not according to original plans! We would like to thank all of you for the prayers you gave throughout this trip and on our trip home, even though we were mostly out of contact and thus often couldn't give you specific requests: God always knew what we needed!

It was an amazing interim, but perhaps the most profound thing that I have walked away with is an imense sense of responsibility as I further my way in the world of science and academia. This was perhaps most strongly felt as we visited the Trinity site and later the Atomic Museum: one of the immense struggles I have in considering such things is that, even though something may be designed because of true necessity and have specific applications in mind, once you have made it, its actual use is often entirely out of your hands. The scientists who worked on the atomic bomb were distributing to request a demonstration of the bomb in an unpopulated area of Japan before using it on a city, and the government stifled this petition and proceeded to bomb tens of thousands of civilians, against the wishes of over 80% of the people who helped to create the very bomb that they used. As an engineer, this ultimate lack of control over the use of my designs is discouraging to think about, but very important to consider as I choose life directions.

All in all, I really enjoyed the interim. The community was extraordinary, both within our group and with the people of Rehoboth and various members of the astronomy community who would all be very welcoming to the group wherever we went. Going back to regular life will take a little bit of getting used to now, and I am very grateful for the last few weeks of my life.

~Rebecca