Perspective...

It’s been a while since we’ve written, and with all the recent changes it’s been hard to formulate thoughts. Transition is tough. Saying goodbye is tough, even after just a month of being together with Derin & Andra. They brought a great amount of joy to us and the rest of our Adjumani community, and I know we were all grieved to see them as well as Esther Miller go. It’s given Rick and I an interesting perspective of what it must be like for the long-term missionaries, those who have given their lives to living abroad and serving God’s people there. These people are constantly saying goodbye, either to their family and friends in the states, to short-term visitors, or to their national friends/partners. Our respect and understanding for Jeff & Michelle and the other World Venture missionaries has definitely grown over the past few months as we’ve experienced a bit more of their world.

We did not send Derin, Andra and Esther home without a bang. Together, along with Jaclyn, the six of us traveled to Murchison Falls National Park and saw a plethora of animals and birds. If you could have been in the car with us when we saw our first giraffe…we were jumping, squealing and getting as close to the windows as we could without falling out. They are amazing creatures. When they gallop it looks like they’re moving in slow motion because it takes so long for their legs to come up and down again. Click here for pics of our safari adventures, including meeting a pride of lions just finishing off their breakfast of water buffalo.

So with less than three months until our own departure, Rick and I are approaching our time here with renewed vision and hope for all that God will continue to do in and through us. We continue to strive to be completely here in the emotional sense, and to keep giving ourselves to relationships even though we know how much more it will hurt to say goodbye. In the next few months we’ll be hosting two short-term teams, welcoming another member to the community (Erin Carkner from Imago Dei Community), raising our cute little chicks, building more coops, and hopefully producing some vegetables in our garden. The time will go quickly I know, but we’re savoring all that we can from the vast African skies to the constant sound of children outside our windows…and everything in between.