Reconnecting

By SF bay with Megan's mom

One of the great things about coming back to the States is reconnecting with people and communities that have meant a lot to us, both in the past and in the present as God has continued to guide us on this journey in Africa. We’ve been blessed by having groups of people standing behind us, praying for us and walking with us throughout.

But there can be something bittersweet in the reconnection— because we realize how much has changed, how long we’ve been away, how much life-together we’ve missed with them. There are the obvious changes of individuals and families— kids have gotten bigger or aren’t even kids anymore, jobs have changed, people have moved.   But there are other kind of changes too.  Some people have gone through hard times and we weren’t there to walk with them.  Some people have embarked on new and exciting journeys and we only get to see them after the fact.  In short, life brings change, and we haven’t been along for the journey.

We were struck recently by how much the different faith communities we hold dear have changed since we’ve been gone on the islands. They are all very different (we’re thinking of at least 6 different places and groups). They’ve had changes in leadership, caught new visions. Old friends have left, new people have come. There have been new agreements and new conflicts, new bonds and new scars in relationships. At least it seems “new” to us because we haven’t been around, to the community the changes are old news. They don’t even notice the differences that to us stand out so much.

New favorite activity- mini golf

We started to wonder where we would have fit into these communities if we had been with them through the challenges, transitions and conflict.  Where there was conflict, would we have been involved in it?  Where there were new ideas and new life, would we have engaged it or fought it?  Would we have been excited? Offended? Hurt? Inspired?  We’ll never really know.  What we realize is that each of these communities are like family to us.  Think about family.  Sometimes you know a loved one is struggling and wish you could help in someway.  Sometimes you just watch with pleasure and cheer them on in their triumphs.  And sometimes you just don’t know what’s going on with them.  But wherever they may be, we love them.  And so we find ourselves seeing our “families” again after many years.  We don’t know all that’s gone on with them, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter.  We are committed to loving them, even if it is often from a distance.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We’re thankful for our time in California and for the good rain they got to help the drought. We’re so thankful the opportunity and time we’ve had to reconnect. 

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Megan’s 94 year old grandfather is in the hospital with kidney problems. He had to have surgery yesterday. Pray for Megan’s aunts, uncle and mom as they try to ensure that her grandmother and grandfather get the care and support they need (both now and when he’s out of the hospital). We leave California tomorrow morning for the east coast. Pray for safe travels back to the east coast and for our final days in the US— we leave for Africa on Feb 10th.