As many of you know our family has been on furlough here in the States for the past several weeks. For those of you who didn’t know that, sorry if the silence from the blog made you think we dropped off the face of the earth or got carried off into the bush by some ferocious animal! (now THAT would make an exciting blog!!)
We have been incredibly blessed during our time here. Some of the highlights:
*visiting Jen’s family for two weeks in New Jersey.
*spending time at Eric’s family cottage located on the shores of Lake Michigan.
*meeting our newest nephew (born while we were in Swaziland) and enjoying how much our other nieces and nephews have developed and changed over the past year.
*attending two beautiful weddings of some of our former students from youth ministry…Eric helped officiate one of them which was EXTRA special.
*being able to be with Jen’s mom on Mother’s Day and with Eric’s dad on Father’s Day.
*the FOOD! Did you know that people absolutely love feeding missionaries…constantly? It’s true!
*Jacob was able to spend several days with four of his cousins at their home located in southern Michigan at a Bible camp.
*Claire is currently on a mission trip in Detroit, Michigan with the youth group from Beechwood Church, serving at a Spanish speaking church in the inner city.
These are just a few of the things we have enjoyed while being here, but the greatest part has definately been being with our family and friends who we have missed so very much during our time in Swaziland. Where we live and serve in Nsoko is very isolated and can become extremely lonely! This time at home has been like a warm hug from our Heavenly Father, and we are so grateful!
With just about two weeks until we return to Swaziland we are getting excited to re-connect with our friends there. We are eager to re-engage the work God still has for us in Nsoko. It is a little bittersweet and can bring up mixed emotions, but we can honestly say we are looking forward to going back, even though it is always difficult to say good-bye on this end. When you live between two cultures and two homes you never really feel completely ‘at home’ or ‘settled’ in either place. It is kind of a strange feeling.
I think there is a big lesson to be learned in that. We are not supposed to get too comfortable.
Jesus told His disciples to travel light. Abraham and his family were, essentially, illegal aliens. The Bible tells us that we are ‘strangers in a strange land’. We are citizens of heaven.
As a family, we have grown so much through this past couple years of transition. We have learned to depend on the Lord in ways we haven’t before. We have started to really appreciate what is of true value and what is just…fluff. We haven’t learned that lesson perfectly and we still get things flipped upside down and turned around at times, but, that is all part of the journey. We’ll continue forward, hopefully with grace and purpose. We’ll stay too long in some places and not long enough in others. Our roots will grow too deeply at times and not deeply enough at other times. We’ll try to hear the Lord’s voice and follow His leading even when it might make us uncomfortable. We’ll miss it sometimes, but we’ll keep going forward…
…until we get Home. For real.
“In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.” ~ John 14:2 NIV
