Conflict Mediation

After the meeting, I hopped up from the mat, happy to stretch my back and play hostess,  getting the gathered people snacks and drinks. Elewa let everyone know that people were free to go but that some were going to hang back and talk. I didn’t think much of her comment— some people usually hang out for awhile after our monthly meetings, but I also knew some people had places to go.

Playing with kids while women gather

It wasn’t until a few minutes later when Elewa called my name that I knew something was up. She was sitting closely with two other women and asking me to join them. It quickly became clear that this was a mediation meeting, called by Elewa to confront and mediate conflict between these two women.

I’m not sure if I was there as moral support for Elewa, as an outside observer, or if I was merely invited because they were doing it at my house. In any case, I wasn’t asked to speak. I just listened intently and observed. For the next 45 minutes, I was on the edge of my seat. But it wasn’t the conflict itself that absorbed my attention, it was how these island women were navigating their way through the conflict.

Most island conflicts that we’ve known of have ended in broken relationships and/or long-held grudges. Forgiveness and openly talking and addressing conflict is not the cultural norm here. We often pray for unity among the island body, but we also realize that unity is won through addressing conflict! Conflict will come. If we want to find true and lasting unity, we all need to learn to navigate conflict in a way that honors God and others— but that process can look different depending on the culture!

Tom visits English class

I could hear the hurt and residual anger as each of the two women gave their accounts.  After that, I was skeptical that this mediation was going to actually end in forgiveness and reconciliation. But then Elewa began to speak.  Elewa emphasized her status as the oldest woman (even if it is only by a few years) and used it to full advantage— talking at length about the need for mutual asking for forgiveness and the dangers of allowing conflict and disunity tear the group apart. She said she wouldn’t force them, but explained what she hoped would happen. As we went into a time of closing prayer (with Elewa having done the majority of the talking), she told them to hold hands. They held hands but it was still hard to tell whether anything had penetrated their hearts. At the end of the prayer, I was half expecting there to be curt, polite goodbyes and for everyone to go their own way pretty quickly. But instead, an amazing thing happened.  Right after the ‘amen’, there were tears, hugs and asking for forgiveness. Elewa and I starting praying in thanksgiving while the women embraced.

What a beautiful thing to witness! Not only because these two women are no longer at odds, but because it was all so culturally-appropriate and at the same time counter-cultural! It could have been so easy for these women to avoid each other or to continue to go through the motions of community, holding onto grudges and never having true community. (We see it on the islands all the time!) We pray for change and this was an answer to that prayer. We pray for a true community of love and forgiveness, and witnessing this mediation encourages us that it is not only possible, but it is starting to happen.

Special dessert for Mommy/son date night

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We are so thankful to see these signs of maturity and growth in the area of conflict resolution. May there be many more redeeming examples in the coming months/years. The doors opened for one of our grieving colleagues to travel home for his grandfather’s funeral— his trip will be short, but we pray it will be meaningful and a blessing for him and his extended family. Our daughter has been transitioning well to boarding school (making friends, adjusting to the workload, and not very homesick)— these are big answers to prayer. Thanks for praying. Our new responsibilities are feeling less overwhelming as we settle into our new role.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
As far as we know the big rice shipment that came last week has yet to be distributed— pray that rice would get to the people that need it most. There has been a lot of death and grief lately among the people we know— some anticipated but also lots of shocks (including some children). Pray for light to shine on those walking the long road of grief and loss. The situation on the French Island continues to be very bad— with crime and gangs overwhelming the island. Pray for a way out of this complicated and messy situation and for the weariness of those living and trying to be lights there to lift.

Rich or Poor

 “Two things I ask of you, LORD;
do not refuse me before I die:
Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.”
Proverbs 30:7-9

Saying goodbye to friend leaving for her studies

“Give me neither poverty nor riches,…”  Living overseas the way we do, we are caught in this weird dichotomy of poverty and riches. Back home, our salary for our size of family would make us very far from wealthy, but that same salary on the islands makes us rich here.

So what are we? If rich means never looking at the price of things and being able to spend without thinking, then we’re not rich. But if being rich, means having more than we need than we are definitely rich. We always have enough. We can confidently say that God has always provided our daily bread and more. As the world and the islands suffer economically, we feel the divide between us, who have enough, and those that don’t have enough. We are privileged, and living on the islands we feel it.

Some can still afford weddings

“But give me only my daily bread…” As food prices soar here, we have to ask ourselves hard questions about cutting back and wondering what we should be buying now. But we haven’t known the weight of having absolutely no money to our names. We’re contemplating whether to switch to more dried beans instead of canned, and whether meals with imported products need to become ‘special-occasion’ meals instead of everyday meals. We don’t have to contemplate which shops are going to keep letting us take on credit or what wealthier family member we can beg to help us out again to put food on the table. For us cutting back is a choice, we aren’t scraping to survive.

“Or I may become poor and steal…”  We haven’t known desperation, but we realize lots of island families have been pushed to that point. With the rising desperation on the islands has come rising crime. Home break-ins are becoming more and more common. One of our teammates’ neighbors had everything of value, (including 70 kgs of harvested and dried cloves) taken this past week when they left a window open overnight.

The recent trials of shortages and inflation are challenging for us, but we know that we are privileged. The weight isn’t crushing. When our kids say they are hungry, we can give them food. Our privilege means we can help others. We get to be the ones that continue to give with food and money to those that ask us.

Tom with friends at wedding

“Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you…”  In our leadership position, we have to help create a budget for all the island workers for next year. We are answering a form of questions about inflation and what goods cost now, but the underlining question of, “How much money do you need?” is harder to answer. Is the goal to not have to worry about money? Is the goal to have excess so we can give and support the poor in our communities? Is the goal to join in the suffering of those around us and get rid of some of our privilege? These are big questions that thankfully we don’t have to answer by ourselves.

The person who penned that prayer in Proverbs was asking to be spared the desperation of poverty and overabundance of riches, both of which could cause him to forget God. He realized that losing perspective was the greatest risk, whether rich or poor. May we not forget whom we should look to and call on in all circumstances.  

We call on God to provide our daily bread (or daily rice). We have found Him to be a faithful provider. May more and more find Him so.

PRAYERS ANSWERED


We had a memorial for our island brother’s wife this past week.  It was a good time of fellowship as brothers and sisters came together to love and support Dimi.  Our teammate made it safely back to the States.  The unrest of last week seems to have settled down.  They even say that the rice has arrived, but it seems they are being much more cautious about how it is distributed (for better or for worse).  The populace remains calm.  We are thankful that we and our teammates continue to have encouraging, light-shining conversations and that we see encouraging developments in the hearts and minds of islanders.


PRAYERS REQUESTED
Some of our island colleagues have had loved ones pass away in their home countries this past week.  Some of the hardest decisions we have to make are at these times—whether to travel or to stay.  It is a difficult question that needs discernment and grace.  Pray that they would know what best to do and whether they go or stay, that they could find time to grieve and rest and find peace.  Tom starts teaching English again this week.  Pray that finding the balance between English teaching, family, relationships, and leadership responsibilities would continue to develop in the days ahead.  Continue to lift up Dimi and his family, as life returns to normal for others, they will still be grieving.  May God give them comfort.

Loss

It all happened so fast our heads were spinning. This past week was the funeral for our island brother, Dimi’s wife.  She leaves behind 4 children, ages 2 to 11.  We received news of her illness and subsequent travel to Tanzania for treatment just as we were leaving the States.  We had only been back to Clove Island a few days when we received news of her passing.  What a tumultuous and melancholy first week.

At burial

For islanders, there is no question that if the family can gather the money, the body should be buried on the islands—and as soon as possible.  So within hours of her passing, people were already making arrangements to fly her body home.  The funeral would occur immediately—as in the casket would leave the airport and go straight into the funeral.  So we soon knew the funeral would be on Wednesday afternoon.  But before that could happen, money needed to be raised and sent to Tanzania to clear the medical debts, and pay for transportation, and permissions.  In Island culture, everybody chips in and someone finds a way to get the money to where it needs to go—usually through a friend or relation.  So we and our teammates found ourselves messaging with people in Tanzania and across the islands trying to do our part to get money where it needed to go.  

As Wednesday approached there were other matters to consider.  Brothers and sisters from the other islands were coming over to attend the funeral.  They would need help with transportation.  It is customary for a delegation to meet the casket at the airport and ride in caravan to the village.  Cars had to be rented or borrowed for this purpose (complicated by unrest on the islands closing roads and making taxi-drivers uneasy).  Also any visitors would need places to stay.  People would have to open their homes to receive them, feed them, etc. We did our small part in finding one willing taxi driver to be part of the caravan and hosting a brother from the small island.

At around 3pm on Wednesday the body arrived.  The funeral procession began.  The cars raced down the streets following the ambulance that led the way, through many towns until arriving at the village where hundreds of people already awaited the caravan.  Funerals are a community event, so hundreds of people being present is not surprising.  At this point men and women split up (although the majority of people at the airport were men).  The women gather together to chant and pray—our island sisters prayed in a different way.  The men gather at the home.  Briefly at the house I was able to see Dimi and give him a hug.  His eyes were tired and sad, but he was going forward stoically—Islanders are strongly discouraged from crying and other displays of mourning.  The body was taken from the travel casket and placed in the funeral casket.  The funeral casket is temporary and reusable.  In a moment the funeral casket was being carried outside and down the street to the place of worship.  Along the way, men would take turns carrying the load, switching in and out as they went along.  Men surrounded the casket front, back and sides, filling the road.  Dimi walked just behind it with some of his close blood relations. Tom did his part walking alongside them and Megan did her part sitting at the house with the women.

Remaining mourners around home after funeral

The casket was taken into the house of worship and a prayer is said.  Many of the men, and most of my brothers remained outside and waited.  When the prayer was finished the casket is then lifted again and taken to the grave—a long walk down the main street, and eventually into what looks like a field of banana, mango and clove trees, with grave humps the only distinguishing feature to mark it as a cemetery.  Upon arrival, some of the teachers begin to chant while some others go to work.  The body fully wrapped in cloth is removed from the casket and set in the grave, which is quickly filled in with dirt.  When the work is finished the burial is over.  The family of the deceased makes a receiving line and shakes everyone's hands, and then the men make their way back to their homes.

Back at the house, the brothers and sisters gathered.  The funeral may have been over, but they wanted a chance to gather around Dimi and pray for him.  We prayed with them. It was not long.  Dimi was clearly exhausted.  But the fellowship gathered around and lifted concerns up to their Dad.

We did our part, but we are very aware that we are just a small part of a whole community coming together to support our brother and friend.  Our sorrow is heavy.  But if there is one thing to rejoice in, one source of consolation it is seeing the brothers and sisters gathered for this moment—to see this community emerging—knowing that this family of brothers and sisters had an important role in helping the funeral go well and in helping Dimi feel supported and loved. We pray that they will continue to be that community for him in the hard days to come.

Our daughter at school

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We are thankful that everything came together for the funeral and for the community we witnessed and were able to be apart of. Our daughter continues to be giving us positive reports from boarding school. One shipment with rice came. It only scratched the surface of the need, but we hear more is coming. Our teammate is on her way to the US and successfully made it off the islands and was able to see Dimi on the big island as he traveled through.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
There was some significant unrest this past week on Clove Island, related to the rice shipment and its distribution. The government soldiers responded with lots of tear gas and tragically one child died from a severe reaction to the tear gas. Unrest continued with barred roads. The soldiers took several men into custody and destroyed property, making people upset again. Thankfully today the men were released and there is hope that the unrest will be over. Pray with us for peace. Pray for future rice shipments that they can be distributed fairly and peacefully. Pray that those shipments would come soon. Continue to pray for Dimi and his children as they continue to grieve.

You Didn’t Bring Rice?!

“So… you just came? Without bringing any rice. You just came.” There was a clear note of disappointment and unbelief in her voice. I didn’t really know how to respond. Did she actually expect us to bring a 25kg bag of rice with us from America?

Welcoming committee inside the airport

We have seen our arrival back to the islands be met with some disappointment before. Not that people aren’t excited to see us. We always get very warm welcomes back. But there are definitely some of our island friends and contacts who are also very excited by what kinds of gifts we might be bringing back for them. So usually any disappointment comes because they were secretly hoping for expensive electronics or jewelry while we come bearing chocolate and little knick-knacks.

But disappointment because we didn’t bring rice?! That’s a new one. Usually the islands have tons of rice. Most homes have big sacks and there are whole storehouses filled with them. 

This disappointment comes from a true crisis on the islands. One that we took for granted. We had heard about the rice shortage as we were leaving the US, but the islands often have shortages. Usually shortages last for a few weeks, but then relief comes and things go back to normal. But this shortage has continued. Relief hasn’t come and people are beginning to suffer.

Welcoming committee outside airport

Clove Island has been hit hardest so far. They ran out of rice first. First the big bags of cheaper rice were gone, then the non-subsidized imports (basmati and jasmine). First the shops were just empty, now lots of kitchens are devoid of rice. It happened on Clove first, but now it’s all the islands. When we got to the big island, their shops were just running out.

It’s not like there is nothing to eat, but rice is the main staple.  Where we say, “Give us this day our daily bread,” a true dynamic translation for the islands would be “give us this day our daily bowl of rice.”  With rice gone, the other grain sources are being hit hard by the increased demand. There is now no flour for sale. Thankfully bakeries are still making bread, but less than normal, and not enough to feed the island. Pasta is getting harder to find. Other starches (cassava, green bananas, etc) have often doubled in price. What are poorer people supposed to eat? Some of our poorer friends look thinner.

Even not-so-poor people are feeling it. They are used to rice. One island friend told us that you can’t feel full and satisfied without eating rice. Several mothers have said their kids are complaining about being hungry. One tells her kids to drink water. Another tells her daughter to just close her eyes and go to sleep, then she’ll feel full.

Meanwhile rumors abound— some rice might come today or tomorrow? But who will get the rice if it comes…whoever can push their way to the front in a mob of people? Or whoever has money and connections? So far, Clove Islanders are not optimistic that relief is on its way. They’ll believe in relief when they have a sack of rice in their kitchen and full, satisfied bellies again. “Give us this day our daily bowl of rice” takes on a whole new meaning when there is no rice to be found.  But most islanders are not familiar with that phrase—they may not even know to ask.  So we ask on their behalf, and help where we can, and trust that He is faithful and will have mercy.

Welcoming committee at our house

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We made it safely to Clove Island, as well as our bags (even the ones that came by boat)! Thanks for praying! Our daughter made it through her first week of boarding school only slightly overwhelmed with the schedule and homework! And she seems to have made some friends and not too homesick so far. We are excited for the days ahead for her.  Our boys finished their first day of homeschool.  It didn’t go perfectly smooth, but it wasn’t a big deal either, so we can perceive good days ahead there too. Our island sister has had some good, honest interactions with her teen daughters— praying for more good communication and for these young women to find their way.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Our dear island brother’s wife became extremely sick less than two weeks ago. This evening (Monday) she died.  The two of them had traveled to mainland Africa earlier this week to seek medical help. They have 4 young children. Please pray for this dear family. Pray for our brother as he grieves and deals with the logistics of sending his wife’s body back to the islands for burial. May light shine in the darkness. Pray for rice to come back to the islands and for the needy and truly hungry to receive it first. Multiple shipments would need to come to truly bring relief to everyone. Pray for us as we have stepped into our new leadership role supporting all the island teams— may God in His grace help us to balance well and to communicate well.  

Be Strong and Courageous

One of the first verses that we memorized as a family was “…For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Our oldest was only 4 years old at the time and had been given the verse to take home and memorize at a Sunday morning kids gathering.

When we first memorized verse (2012)

The verse became a go-to phrase whenever we were traveling (which was often)— having our kids say it before going to bed in a new or strange place.  It was a comforting reminder that some things don’t change no matter where we are. 

But the phrase that we memorized all those years ago is not the whole verse. The whole verse is “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go!” Just recently we returned to the verse to memorize the whole thing. As we returned back to Africa this past week, its words have been sticking in our minds and has been coming from our lips each night before bed.

It’s a good thing. Because, on Friday, we said goodbye to our oldest (now 14!) at boarding school. At the moment of saying goodbye, we weren’t feel particularly strong or courageous. Our eyes were tear-filled and we didn’t want to say goodbye. We didn’t want to leave. But we knew we had to. So we gave a final hug, saw our daughter to the group that was awaiting her and walked away.

Our daughter now (2022) in new dorm room

Our family has needed these words— be strong, be courageous, do not be afraid, do not be discouraged. We’re not just in a new place, we’re embarking on a new chapter and we are feeling the weight of its new challenges.

But thankfully the end of the verse, that is so familiar after over 10 years of saying it as a family, brings us comfort. We are not being commanded to be brave and strong on our own strength. The reason that we don’t have to fear or be dismayed is because we are not alone. He is with our daughter. He is with us. It is through Him that we can let go of the fear and worry and face this new future with courage and trust.

It won’t always come easy. We’ll need reminders. So we will continue to repeat these words to ourselves. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go!”

Preparing to say goodbye

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We made it safely to the big island! All of our flights left on time and were uneventful and all our bags made it! Our boys initially had tummy bugs our first morning in Africa, but we are thankful that they quickly recovered and no one else was sick. Our daughter got her negative COVID test for entering school and the orientation went well. We got to reunite with some old friends, including four different families that we went to language school in France with 10 years ago!, who were also dropping kids off at boarding school. It was hard to say goodbye, but we are very thankful for the school and wonderful community found there.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Our daughter finished her first day of high school today— pray for her to not be too overwhelmed and to make some good friends quickly. Pray for our boys who have been surprised by how sad they have been and how much they have missed their sister. On Wednesday we travel back to Clove Island— pray for a safe and uneventful flight and a smooth transition back to life there.  We have too much luggage for the interisland plane, so we will have to send some of our bags by boat on Thursday— pray they make it safely and that we don’t have any hassles sending and reclaiming them. One of our island sisters and friend is having a very difficult time with two of her teenage children. Pray for wisdom, love and grace for her as she navigates this situation and for restoration and redemption in that family. One of our island brothers’ wife got very sick and he had to travel with her off the islands to seek medical help— pray for her healing and that it would be a testimony to her. One of the workers on the big island just tested positive for COVID and is not feeling well— pray for a quick recovery and that others would not get sick. The islands are suffering under several shortages and continuing inflation— right now the islands have run out of rice (a main staple of the diet). Pray that a shipment of rice and other needed goods would come soon!

The Shift

 It happened noticeably at the beginning of last week.

Final days fun at local splash pad park

Suddenly I woke up each morning with new thoughts surging through my mind. People and situations that hadn’t been at the front of my mind for months kept popping to the surface. It was like we reached a tipping point and the islands, its people, our life, role and responsibilities over there were coming into sharp focus and the US was starting to fade.

We had finished most of our major commitments. We found that we didn’t need to listen as carefully when people were making plans. The messages in the group chats had started to not apply to us— we won’t be here anymore.

Only a couple weeks ago, we had some meetings online with people on the islands about things in the coming months and I struggled to engage and think clearly about the details. My brain was still too full of the next few weeks in the US. I hadn’t made the shift yet and I struggled to juggle both our remaining US responsibilities and schedule with everything on the islands.

Recital marking he finished the beginner book!

This shift started as an unconscious thing. But then I noticed it happening and embraced it. It is a marker that we are at a transition point (actually lots of transition points this time around). We realize that at any transition there is both the saying goodbye, letting go, potentially grieving or celebrating what we are leaving, as well preparing, welcoming and embracing what is to come. Our life has included lots of these transitions, but that doesn’t mean we always do them well. But we do know that there has to be a shift of focus at some point, if we refuse to let go of the former or don’t prepare for the other, then there will be trouble. If we try to hold everything in our mind all at once, then we end up overwhelmed.  We cannot do both.  We need to make the shift.

This shift is a reminder of our limitations. We are so finite. We can’t process everything all at once. Ultimately it leaves us in awe of the One who is able to juggle not only our whole lives, but all people, through all time. Wow! So glad, He’s the one in charge. 

19 years of marriage!

PRAYERS ANSWERED


Our final week in America has gone very well.  We’e been able to have some meaningful times with friends and family, get through our to-do list, and not gotten too stressed about the packing process—thanks for all your prayers!  On the islands, our teammates who were sick are feeling much better.  The island family that was experiencing dark spiritual things has seen an improvement in the situation, but they are still fearful- let’s keep praying for them. 
This week we celebrated our  anniversary-- we are thankful for our 19 years together!

PRAYERS REQUESTED
A new app is available to islanders, giving them access to more of the Word— pray for many to download, listen and read. The translation project had to stop some checking meetings because of health concerns for one participant— pray for healing and for the logistics to come together to reschedule. We travel today—leaving in just a few hours.  Pray that our flights go on time and without cancellation, for bags to go through, for good health and no Covid, and for peace and trust in our spirits throughout.  As always, pray for Megan’s back to be strong and healthy throughout the traveling process.  We will say goodbye to our daughter and drop her off at school on Friday.  Please lift up this big transition for all of us.  Then we will travel on to the islands on Sunday, so please remember us throughout the week as we slowly make our way home to Clove Island.

What's Good News?

A friend of ours here in America shared a story with us this past week.  He was talking to a small group of Americans who would claim the good news is life-changing and central to what they believe.  So our friend challenged them with the question:

Our youngest turned 10!

How is ‘the good news’ good news for you today?  It seems like a simple question, and yet, the group struggled to answer.  

The truth is that for many of us the good news can become old news.  Somewhere along the line, it stops feeling important or powerful.  It becomes life as usual. It becomes status quo.  It stops feeling both good or new.  

And let’s face it, a lot of good news is like that.  After the initial euphoria wears off, after the celebration, life goes on.  There’s always the next thing. “Congratulations, you passed the exam!  There will be another one in 6 months.”  “You won the Super Bowl!  But who will win next year?”  Good news becomes old news and old news is unfulfilling.

Whale watching on family reunion

But some good news has on-going effects.  For example, the good news may start with making a good friend.  Then a good friend, becomes a good spouse, becomes a good parent, becomes a good grand-parent, becomes a 50 year wedding anniversary, becomes a life full of meaning and faithfulness.  (We just had a celebration this week celebrating Tom’s parents’ 50+ years of marriage.) Or, the good news of a friend joining an alcohol recovery program leads to a new lease on life, leads to a healed family, leads to reconciliation with co-workers, leads to lives and relationships redeemed, leads to other lives impacted and saved from alcohol abuse.  Some good news keeps on giving.

We know that the good news that we hold as being so central has that ongoing power. But do we have eyes to see it?

One of the benefits in living on the islands is contrast.  In a place where hope, redemption and peace are little known, the good news stands out in sharp contrast.  It keeps on giving.  Like the recent story of a colleague who told us about an island brother who had to make a big decision.  So he prayed about it and got an answer.  Quoting our colleague:  “He laughed aloud as he exclaimed ‘[before] I didn’t know that I could talk to God and he would answer me!’, there was a beautiful level of awe and wonder in his voice and face.”

This brother is daily discovering the on-going effects of the good news. But what about us?  Our friends’ question is ringing in our ears.  How is it good news today? As we head into a season of transition, we feel some of the weight of added expectations as we change roles. We feel the heaviness of saying goodbye to our daughter and wondering what parenting looks like from here on out. But the good news tells us that it isn’t about us. The weight is not on our shoulders. We can cast all our cares on One who has both the power, control and wisdom that we lack and who promises to go with us. That is good news!

Our wonderful kids

If we start to lack some of that awe and wonder,  please remind us—the good news is ongoing and continuing. It is good and new everyday!

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We are thankful for some encouraging stories from the islands— including islanders sharing boldly and islanders having meaningful dreams. A while ago we asked for prayer for an island sister that was upset and needed to confront others about something— she finally did it. It sounds like it was difficult—now pray for some honest discussion and for any needed repentance and reconciliation that needs to happen. We are thankful for a nice family reunion celebrating Tom’s parents’ 50 years together.  Our daughter has fully recovered from her fall and Megan’s back is feeling much less touchy.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Clove Island is having another surge of COVID cases (including two of our colleagues), but it doesn’t sound like most islanders are taking many precautions. Pray for quick recoveries and for cases to remain mild. One of our teammates is heading back to Africa after time at home— pray for safe travels and a smooth transition. Pray for an island family on the small island that is experiencing some bizarre and dark things that has them very scared— it has led to the opportunity for our colleague to share and study with them— pray for the light to shine brightly, for the dark things to stop and for the family to be forever changed. We are in our final week in the US— pray that we’d get through the long to-do list posted on our wall. Pray also as we are starting to feel the weight of our impending separation from our daughter as she will be at boarding school— pray for sweet times together. We’ve been able to talk to two sets of friends that are looking to start teams of overseas workers- pray for them as they enter into leadership and recruiting teammates.