I’ve been trying to think through how describe what our last 8 months have felt like as we have been here in the states waiting for permission to return to our life, community, church, friends, and ministry in South Africa.  It has been challenging to wait patiently, but also  increasingly more and more familiar.  I think God does give us the grace to adapt and thrive between multiple cultures and that is a gift.  

In Zambia, during dry season, we would often go without a drop of rain from around late April till early October.  It would be dry, dusty, and the hottest temperatures we’ve ever experienced.  It would regularly be around 110-125 F and one day it reached a record high of 131F and the mercury in our thermometer burst.  That was a HOT day, especially living in a safari tent with babies and the electricity getting cut frequently so the fans and AC weren’t constant.  One day, towards the end of dry season, we were with a group doing a Bible study in the bush with a small group of people and we were all sitting in the shade of a Mopane tree.  A friend of mine captured a picture of it.  (see above) It was the driest ground and we hadn’t experienced a drop of rain in months, yet we were enjoying the shade of a tree that had fully pushed all its leaves out in anticipation of the rain that was to come.  That tree is what I think of when I think of the word HOPE.  That tree was absolutely convinced that rain is coming and was positioning itself fully in anticipation that what it needed, God will soon provide and the shade we utilized was a massive blessing to the whole group that day.  God has given us gift after gift and it definitely hasn’t been “months without rain” in our lives, but I still want to position my heart and actions to reflect that I am fully convinced that my answers to prayer are coming soon and live in hope.  

Since we’ve been back, there have been four babies born to couples that we have counseled and coached.  Dan officiated the weddings for two of the couples, and the other two were in our connect group.  One couple named their baby girl Misha after our gorgeous daughter!!  There were two weddings of couples where we spoke into their relationship and we are thrilled for them but sad we missed their special days.  Another teen from a family in our connect group asked Dan to baptize her when we get back.  Lots of special things!

Quite a few years ago, I was taking a counseling course and my friend Edna was at my discussion table.  We were working through one of the topics and at some point I told her, “I feel like I just don’t fit in anywhere anymore.  In Africa I am too American, and in America I am too African.”  Then she prayed over me and felt the Holy Spirit tell her to say to me that “You are a golden puzzle piece and you fit into any puzzle.  You won’t 100% match the picture, but you will add to the beauty of it and you fit perfectly into whatever space He puts you.”  I have held on to those encouraging words in multiple scenarios since.  I fit perfectly wherever the Lord has chosen to put me and my life is so so rich from all the mixing we have done with other cultures.  It has been like that here in the states as we have visited several different cultures of churches.  One  service in Vancouver, WA was specifically for addicts and the homeless (we loved that one!).  Another had Ukrainian pastors and was so brilliant!  We’ve attended several missionary alliance churches (love their vision and heart for the nations!) Some churches pursue the Holy Spirit strongly and others have had more traditional ways of reaching their communities.  All have their own flavor and beauty. As we have visited and shared with multiple connect groups, it has been so fun to learn about their lives and their different ways of serving the Lord in their spheres of influence.