Colorado - DAR

I am in Colorado with the family at DAR….Debriefing And Renewal retreat for missionaries.  Let me be honest… I did not want to come this week!!  We have been traveling non-stop and I just haven’t had the time to prepare myself for talking on a deep level about our re-entry into American life.  Thankfully, the Holy Spirit has been working on my heart and I feel good about being here now.

It’s been refreshing to be with other missionary women and share what our journey has been about.  They really “get it” - the paradoxes of missionary life.  For example, I think Togo is dirty, smelly and uncomfortable, but I love the way the people are hospitable and welcoming.  It’s your classic love/hate relationship.  

I am also exploring how to deal with the ways I’ve changed during our time in Togo.  Especially in the areas of spirituality.  I have a broader view of how God is working in the world.  I wonder how my new understandings will translate into a conservative church setting.

The main reason we chose to come to this retreat was for our boys. They have an amazing program for MKs!! Today, Isaac shared through pictures and words all about his life in Togo.  He relished the opportunity to share.  Graham’s turn will be Thursday.  The boys are also learning about expectations, feelings and culture. They have already made fast friends with the other MKs here.  (But there’s still NOT a boy Isaac’s age!!)  I am looking forward to Wednesday when I hear observations from the teachers about the boys.

I’ll check in later….Blessings

Decisions, decisions, decisions

I’m learning more about myself everyday in my new environment.  Yesterday, I had an “aha moment” about making decisions.  In Togo, most decisions were made for me mostly due to a lack of choices.   For example, if I wanted to buy cereal, I had two or three choices.  Of course in America the choices for cereal take up an entire grocery aisle.  I knew that choices were plentiful in the US and that making decisions would be challenging before last week….that’s not the “aha”.

The eye-opening insight that came to me was that I am being called to grow spiritually in a different way.  In Togo, I had to make the best of many difficult situations.  It was my attitude that I could adjust and make the best of things.  But, in the States it’s still true that I need to have my attitude in check, but I am making decisions and then living with their consequences in a more responsible way.  In other words, I feel more responsible for the way I spend my money or where I live, etc.  The only other way I can think to describe is that in Africa I felt more passive and in the States I feel more pro-active when it comes to decisions.  I feel more “in control” here of my lifestyle, but I think with that “control” comes a great responsibility.  

Does this make sense to anyone else?  I’d love to hear your feedback.

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 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.

The Long Good-bye, Part 18

Girls’ Weekend!!!!

There’s nothing quite like a day at the beach (with no kids!) to celebrate friendship.

Andrea, Nicole, Becky and I had a great time shopping at the grand marche, eating out, and relaxing on the sand. The weekend would’ve been better only with the additional company of Jane and April. (We missed you!!!!)

It’s hard to express in words how much I am going to miss these godly women who have journeyed with me on a challenging yet joyful path for many years. We have seen each other through mountain top experiences and heart wrenching valleys of depression and sadness.

But, mostly we have lived daily life with each other. (Can I borrow a block of butter? What school curriculum do you think we should purchase for next year? I need help with gas money. Oh, I thought I already paid you that. Would you like to come over for dinner Friday? And on and on….) Anyone who has been in a long-term relationship knows that the daily stuff can be difficult at times. Relationships grow stale. Irritations build up. Feelings get hurt. We have honored each other to the best of our abilities and even then failure has come. Of course, that’s when God is glorified most evidently through humility, forgiveness and reconciliation. God has been good to knit us together as sisters in Christ. Over the past 10 years these women have become my heroes of faith. They shine brightly for the Lord.

World Malaria Awareness Day

Malaria kills 3,000 children every day.

Malaria is easily preventable and treatable.

During our time in Togo, I have known many families who have lost their children to this disease. My own children have suffered from malaria, but I had the resources to treat them effectively.

Lots of organizations, scientists, and churches are working hard to help those effected by this killer disease.

They need our prayers and support.

If you want to learn more about malaria (what is it exactly anyway?). Check out this website: Malaria No More

Reflections on Togo, Part 6

2003- The most life changing thing that happened to our family during 2003 didn’t happen in Togo, but in America. My parents and Bryan’s parents divorced after many married years. (It was odd that these divorces happened back to back. Satan was a work on many levels!) It was difficult, to say the least, to figure out how to relate to our parents after these events. It was also heart wrenching to be away from our siblings and mothers during this time. Our phone bills were off the charts expensive!

We went on furlough in the Spring. It was your typical furlough…travel, snippets of time with friends and family that you really want to be with longer, lots of restaurant food, travel, shopping, reporting on work in Togo and then some more traveling.

We returned to Togo just three days before the Harding interns arrived for the summer! While we were on furlough our teammates (bless their souls) moved our stuff over to a new house! So, I had only a few days to arrange the new place before guests arrived. Oh, and I was pregnant with my third child! I had no energy. So, my mood wasn’t the most pleasant that summer.

In the fall, the family and I drove to Lome (about 5 hours South) for a prenatal appointment every month. I could go into great detail about my experience with maternity care in Togo, but that’s for another time. Let’s just say for this post that I was way out of my comfort zone. (I have teammates and colleagues that have given birth here and all I can say is, “Wow! You are amazing!!!) The decision was made to return to the States for the birth of our sweet little girl. Yep, you read that correctly. We were told that we were having a girl!

2003/2004 -We lived with my grandmother in San Diego awaiting the arrival of baby for two months. Our little girl turned out to be a sweet little boy…James Owen, born January 12! We stayed in SD another month and then returned to Togo as a family of five plus one servant-hearted mother-in-law.  She stayed for two weeks to help us adjust.

To be continued….

The Long-Goodbye, Part 16

Whew!  We had our BIG yard sale today and I am so glad that it’s over!  Our goal was never to make money, but to simply get rid of stuff.  So we sold our items for very cheap prices.  However, there were a few frustrating moments especially when our neighbors discovered the “free” toy box.  There was a massive dog pile for the stuff.  It was embarrassing and a little bit scary to witness.  Other than that the sale was orderly, thankfully!

Our house is becoming bare: pieces of furniture are missing, pictures are gone from the walls, closets are cleared out and the fridge and pantry are holding less and less food.  Strangely, I am not really even sad to see these pieces of “home” depart.  I’m ready for a fresh start.

I will continue my Reflection on Togo series soon.  Stay tuned!

Well, well, well…

Here are the pictures I promised of our field trip to the well drilling site. It was a great learning experience for the kids (and me!) to see what it takes to drill a well. As it turns out, it’s a lot of trial and error! There is no sure fire way of knowing if there is water under the ground where you are drilling. So, with the low-tech equipment that is being used sometimes it takes a few failed attempts until gold..I mean…water is struck! At this site they were on hole number four due to the rocky soil. Please pray for perseverance for all involved.

David Reeves and several team kids (mine included) checking out a hand dug well that had been abandoned….too rocky to dig through by hand.

Late and Jean-Marie discussing exactly how to use the metal rod. See that little hole? That’s how a well begins.

Matt Waller, the intern from Water for All International, who is teaching us how to drill with this low-tech (and cheap!) method.

Matt is showing the kids how a pump works…sorta like a straw.