America!!!

We are finally here!  We arrived in Dallas yesterday afternoon to a welcoming group of church friends and former missionaries.  It was so much fun to see everyone!  I scanned the group for my sister Jenny, but didn’t see her.  Her plane was delayed due to storms in Tennessee.  However, she got to Dallas a few hours after we did.  It was an immense joy to hug her in the airport.

We are staying with the Sanderson family for the next two weeks as we gear up for our summer of travel.  On the to do list are:  purchasing a family vehicle, clothes, toiletries, etc.  Jenny and I shopped at Walgreen’s last night and I bought some much needed things.  I am thankful that she was with me to help me make decisions.

I’ll write in more detail later for those of you who are interested.  Plus, I have lots of beautiful pictures of our time in Europe to share.  Stay tuned and thank you all for your prayers and words of encouragement.  They are felt and effective! 

The Journey Continues

I have only a few minutes to type on my brother-in-law’s computer.  So, here are the highlights…

The family and I are still in Europe.  We went to visit our old French language school in Albertville yesterday. Bryan and I, along with the rest of our team, were students there in 2000. It was neat to visit the nursery where Isaac attended.  The nursery ladies still have pictures of him and the other team kids on the wall. We also had fun taking pictures with Graham in front of the hospital where he was born.   Oh, and I got to shop at my favorite chocolate shop!

We stayed the night in Annecy and enjoyed a boat tour of Lac DÀnnecy today.  It felt like we were in a movie…the scenery was unbelievable.  

Bryan and I have commented to each other how French speaking Europe is a good mid-stop on the way to the US.  They have the same store brands (ie…Leader Price), same language, same packaging (ie…milk and juices are in boxes).  Many, many things are very different, but sorta the same too.  Plus, we have family here!  The boys have had a blast getting to know their cousins.

I promise to post pics when I can! 

Only 2 more days until America!!!

Snapshots from the Journey

We had our annual employee party this year at Hotel Kara! It was a special treat for all of us.

Our last week in Kara, we went to the newly opened Sarakawa Game Park. They don’t have many animals, but it was a nice break from all of the stressful packing.

One last tough guy climbing picture in Kara.

Family beach picture…if only we had been wearing better clothes! Oh well, life is sorta like that these days.

I had matching shirts made for the girls in my 4th grade class. We had a blast posing for pictures at the Grove. Can you find Owen in this one?

Owen and his buddies, Gabe and Asher, loved playing on the wooden croc at the Grove.

There was a Krispy Kreme donut shop in the Heathrow Airport! The boys were excited to eat one, but in the end they only ate half on their donuts. Graham said that he wanted an African donut because they weren’t as sweet.

They had an amazing water fountain at the Heathrow Airport. They boys are huddling close because they are so cold. What a nice change.

More snapshots later….

The Journey

I am typing this post from a beautiful Swiss chalet in the Sion region.  There is snow on the surrounding mountains and the air is clear and dry.  I cannot think of more polar opposite place from West Africa!  We are in Switzerland visiting Bryans brother, Andy, and his family.  

Let me back up a little bit…after we moved out of our house we stayed a couple days with the Reeves and Miller families.  Bryan and I would go back to our house to finish packing up during the day.  Up to this point, working at the house after we had already moved out has been the most stressful for me.  It was if a grumpy switch turned on in my brain.  Anyway, we enjoyed spending our last few days in Kara in our teammates homes.  They treated us like royalty!

After saying goodbye to Kara, we headed to Accra, Ghana and then on to Coconut Grove Beach Resort.  We attended the West Africa Missionary Retreat for 4 days.  The fellowship was rich with our fellow missionaries. Coconut Grove itself is a special place to our family.  We have spent many family vacations and team retreats there.  The ocean is simply awesome.  A perfect physical example of Gods powerful love and grace.  Our team stayed one day beyond the retreat to have some special time to officially send our family on its way.  The kids had a time to share from their hearts various memories and feelings.  At one point, Graham said, My heart is crying on the inside.  I can feel it right here. (He pointed to his gut.)  The team also gave us a few gifts to remember Africa…a digital photo frame loaded with team photos, a silver Africa continent pendant on a necklace, a wooden Africa with elephants, an embroidered tablecloth.  After the kids were in bed the adults met to say good bye.  It was emotional, spirit filled and affirming.  Saying good bye to ones best friends isnt easy to say the least.

So, after the retreat we went back to Accra…repacked all of our luggage….said one final good bye….boarded the plane…Switzerland.

We will arrive in Dallas on May 27th.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers.

 

 

The Long Good-bye, Part 20

The hard good-byes are upon me. Today, I say good-bye to our house - our home. After today, we will be a homeless family for about 4 months relying on the hospitality of family and friends. This is one of the hardest good-byes because it means giving up a certain level of independence. I absolutely love the feeling of being home and doing my own thing. From now on, I’ll have to make sure that our family’s plans are not intrusive to the others that we are living with.

I’m also saying good-bye temporarily to blogging in the style that I prefer. (Often and with photos!) We are having computer troubles. (It’s a long, boring story) Along with the computer stuff, I’ll have the challenge of Internet access while traveling. I have a bunch of pictures that I really want to post, but will be unable to for awhile.   So, please bear with me during this transitional season. I promise to post as often as I can to let you know what’s up so you can be praying for my family during this stressful, exciting, sad, joyful transition!!!

The Long Good-bye, Part 19

Only 4 more nights until our family is officially homeless.

Only 19 more days until we leave African soil.

Any suggestions on what I should title my future series on adjusting to life in America?

It’s almost here.