Having People Visit

 It’s different actually seeing a place in person. Reading about it and seeing pictures may allow you to imagine it, but actually being there allows you to register the smells in the air, the feel of the humidity, the cadence of people’s greetings. It makes it real in a new way.

Arriving at the airport

We don’t get a lot of visitors, and for good reason. The islands are hard and expensive to get to. We have had several people excited to visit us because they already had plans to be in mainland Africa and were hopeful that they could just tack on a few days and see us on the islands. But then they realize the ticket price and all the travel time needed to get to us on Clove Island and they realize it isn’t so easy.

If they do make it all the way to Clove Island, the question then is, what do we show them? Tom’s parents and aunt are here with us for 1 week. How should we fill that week? Should we focus on giving them a taste of our normal life, full with team meetings, visiting with neighbors, and day-off routines. Or should we go for special outings, heading for the farther flung sites that we like to visit on special occasions? We could fill a whole week with these outings.

Three generations going to a wedding

Should we focus on the natural beauty of the island and show them beaches, rivers, waterfalls, and green hilltops? Or should we go for the personal connection and focus on meeting the island friends and neighbors whom we have come to love and our teammates with whom we share so much of our life? What will be the most meaningful to our visitors in the long run?

With some of our early visitors to Clove Island, we didn’t have as many options. Back then, we hadn’t learned about all the cool and beautiful spots, and we didn’t know as many people either. We may have even wondered what to do with visitors. But after 10 years in the same place, we find it hard to limit to just a week’s worth, but it is important to limit. We don’t want to exhaust our guests and we know that just being in a hotter climate and surrounded by people speaking a different language can be tiring.

Ultimately, we’ll go for a taste of different things, maybe one river spot, one wedding event, a little visiting, one short hike. We can’t do it all, but we can leave them with a much better sense of our lives than they had.

We don’t get a lot of visitors, but those that do come will understand our stories better, will be able to read between the lines of some of our requests with better insight and will potentially pray for us and the islands more.

Visiting the river

It makes a difference seeing a place in person! So if you fancy a visit to the islands and aren’t scared off by the travel and price tag, then we’d love to have you! Karibu! Welcome!

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Tom’s parent and aunt made it safely to the islands with all their luggage (which is not a small thing these days)! Their first days on the islands have gone well. Thanks for praying. Megan made it safely to the big island today and will travel to Kenya tomorrow. Our son has been feeling better and sleeping better. Women’s gathering went well and more women than normal seemed engaged. Ma Imani has a plan to start studying with her mom and sisters, pray for open hearts and for nothing to prevent their meeting (their first meeting time was canceled last minute).

PRAYERS REQUESTED
This week a local sister was informed that there was meeting at the big gov office, where they talked about new beliefs spreading rapidly and named her as a leader. Her family was warned by a friend at the meeting to be careful. Pray for wisdom and peace for her, her family and the greater group. A seminar on marriage on our island for the brothers and sisters, organized by someone from the small island and with an outside speaker, is planned for this coming week. Pray that it could be a blessing to the group and to their marriages. A group of brothers in a far village have been having challenging conversations and debates about their beliefs, pray that they would have the words to respond well to people’s challenges and questions. Pray for Megan as she meets with the surgeon on Wed. If everything goes according to plan, she should have surgery on Thursday. Pray for a good surgery, without complications, and for peace for her and the family. Tom and the kids won’t be there the day of the surgery but should be able to arrive the following day. Pray for our son as he says goodbye to the team and island and leaves the island for boarding school for the first time.