I’m back living in Ukarumpa, again, and reflecting on life as a nomad for Jesus Christ. It is hard to express the full depth of the experience, strength and variety of emotions, the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful, and the precious that we go through as a family when moving internationally between such diverse cultures. So, I won’t really… but I’ll attempt a quick glimpse.
Some happy points:
- Confidence that we are following the Lord’s leading
- Getting back to the tropics (where my wife doesn’t object to snow, because there is none)
- Seeing good friends again after being apart for a long time
- Seeing fruit from our prayers for Christian radio
- Enjoying natural beauty in the area
- Seeing the funds come in to make this trip possible
- Seeing administrative barriers come down
- Tracking down the 1,000 lost radios and starting distribution
- Finding a faster and slightly cheaper Internet connection in Ukarumpa
Some hard points:
- Rats infesting our attic (we have killed at least 3, but I saw 2 more last night eating our bananas)
- Leaving friends and family in the USA behind
- Seeing Marie with advanced cancer saying “good bye” at the air strip, in hopes of seeing her family at her home village for a few days before heading on to Heaven
- Seeing that Rachel had been bitten by mosquitoes
- Discovering too late how complicated and time-consuming it is to get permission for Rachel to go on vacation with us in New Zealand
- Changing jobs without proper closure on the last job
- Dealing with another stall in Rachel’s adoption process
- Not having a working vehicle, yet
Points of hope:
- We trust Father God, and rest in His love
- We found a godly lawyer who may represent us in Rachel’s adoption
- No weapon formed against us will prosper
- We believe God will provide all we need to do all He wants us to do
- Making progress in my new job
To God be the glory!