On Sunday afternoon we said good-bye to three-quarters of our family. First we hugged and kissed and hugged again my parents, sister and her family. I will always remember Carter hugging Owen (they are separated by just 3 months) on the front porch. They see each other infrequently but always pick up right where they left off and run and play and pretend and fight and make-up. It’s beautiful to watch. And Owen and Will adore their big cousin, Claire. Family is a beautiful thing.
After many tears and some disbelief that I would actually be leaving my family again, we traveled an hour to meet Jeff’s sister and family for lunch – to say good-bye. We enjoyed cheeseburgers and ice cream and chatted like we wouldn’t soon be 9,000 miles apart. We strongly encouraged Laura, our 18-year-old niece, to join facebook ASAP so that we can all stay in touch once she starts college next week.
And now we are back in Nashville, buying enough shampoo, razors, sunscreen and deodorant for a year. We have PJ’s for Carter, school socks for Claire Marin, shoes for Jeff and plenty of long skirts for me. I have left 11 prescriptions at the pharmacy and now we just wait to hear how much those will cost without insurance. It’s the last minute spending spree to prepare for a year in Malawi where we can get nearly everything we need, but at a significantly higher cost and lower quality.
This summer has been a time of reflection, difficult emotional and spiritual work, and leisure. We don’t feel like we have rested – lots of trips to visit family, speaking at different churches, and some fun vacations too. But just enjoying the ease and predictability of the culture is a different kind of rest. Soon we will be holding our breath to see if we have electricity to make dinner, wondering if we will be stopped at each police barricade, cursing under our breath when the landlord runs out of money for a repair on the house, and hoping there is petrol at the filling station.
But in two weeks we will be walking off the plane to see our friends waving on the airport balcony, climbing back into our beloved Rav4, unpacking in our house, seeing Claire and Carter’s friends at school, eating the best rice on the planet, hugging friends, worshiping with joy and energy, and falling back into a familiar rhythm and a ministry to which God has called us.
Less than two weeks for it all…
I have been thinking about you guys a lot. Kris is definitely going to miss having Jeff around. I can only imagine what it must feel like going away again…this time knowing what you will be getting yourself into. The good the bad and the beautiful right?
God is good. I’m glad that you have enough knowledge of that to advertise it, show it off and give it away. You are doing good things.
The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and He delighteth in his way. Ps. 37:23