This past term I got to participate in something REALLY COOL. The choir director at RVA and one of the Dr.’s from the Kijabe hospital put together a community choir! Saturday after Saturday, they were up and at ’em by 8:00am- practicing at the church across the street. Ten rehearsals offered, five required to be part of the performances, we practiced and practiced Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus.

With members from RVA, Kijabe Hospital, Cure Hospital, Bethany Childrens Home, Moffet Bible College and the Kijabe community at large, we became an inter-community, inter-ministry, inter-cultural choir. We held over 80 members split into the masterful four-part harmony crafted centuries ago. With members from six continents and countless countries, it was really special to be a part of this tiny piece of heaven, so as I celebrate some of the cool wins from the past few months and days, I hope you hum along in some Hallelujah’s…

Hallelujah!

I successfully muddled through teaching three different AP Courses simultaneously, on top of running a daily AP Chem lab class period. Tricky and tough, the students worked hard, and I dare say, even learned a little bit of math.

Hallelujah!

I enjoyed sharing my home with a sweet gal who came to do her student teaching experience at RVA. It was really special having a roommate to debrief the day-to-day, and God blessed me with one as sweet as Sydney.

Hallelujah!

I worked with the sophomores to successfully pull off an incredible event! (Read Kung-fu-Pandamonium if you want more on this one)

Hallelujah!

I enjoyed meeting with a couple of different students as mentees, chatting about all kinds of life on a regular basis.

Hallelujah!

I packed up my house in the last few days of school, readying it for a temporary occupant while I spend a few months state-side.

Hallelujah!

I carefully planned and ate down my freezer and pantry, leaving very little food to be passed on to others- believe me, this was a HUGE feat… I started the process in January. It’s a careful balance between eating up what you have and trying to buy fresh food to use it up.

Hallelujah

I have an apartment to stay in Metro-Detroit, and a car to drive back and forth to my parents on the west side of the state,

Hallelujah!

I’ve got some plans to be at my supporting churches during my time, and plans for some rest and visiting with people I love.

Hallelujah!

I enjoyed celebrating my sister’s birthday, my grandma’s birthday, and Easter all in my first few days in Michigan while staying with my parents.

Hallelujah!

I’ve been enjoying some favorites as I soaked up my Amsterdam Airport Starbucks, and landed to a celebratory dinner with my parents and dear friend at Jet’s pizza. My friend even brought a bag of Doritos for us to dig into in the car, knowing it’s one of my favorite snacks.

Hallelujah!

The Secretary of State is WAY easier to navigate than the National Transportation and Safety Association of Kenya, and in no more than fifteen minutes, my drivers license was once more valid in the state of Michigan.

Hallelujah!

My sister and her husband bought a house almost a year ago… it was so fun to go over there for dinner and finally celebrate their new home with them.

Hallelujah!

I got a new sim card for my phone, and a charger for my computer that isn’t a Kenyan outlet! (message me on facebook or email me if you’d like the new number).

Hallelujah!

Prayer Points

As excited as I am to be home, I’m a little nervous too-a lot has changed in just a couple of years. I’ve passed countless new developments, businesses, even stop signs and round-abouts that didn’t used to exist since getting to Michigan a few days ago. I’m going back to the same area I used to live, but a totally different living situation, with friends whose lives some of which have changed just as much as mine.

I won’t be teaching, but I’ll still have a job… just one without a clear and direct job description. I’m not really sure how to “be a missionary on furlough.” I know it means connecting with churches and connecting with people, but it also means taking time to rest, to relax, to slow down from the fast pace of life at RVA. It means trusting the Lord in this new brief season, working to cultivate a few months of healthy patterns and routines.

It means lots of driving-on the RIGHT side of the road-as I prioritize time with family, yet also prioritizing time to just be me.

I’ll be living alone once again, my pup staying back at RVA with a family of four boys, all rearing to love on her.

I watched The Lord of the Rings trilogy last spring with some friends, stretching it out over about five different movie nights. I found the most moving part to be the end. Samwise and Frodo came back in two totally different ways. Samwise jumped right back in, finding his spot easily. The journey had pushed him to do some things he’d always been afraid of. For him, this looked like marrying the cute barmaid and establishing a life of his own, pursuing some dreams he’d never thought he could achieve. For Frodo, the return was different. Frodo sat in the pub next to Samwise completely out of place. Frodo knew he was different and felt it so acutely, he couldn’t even stay. The journey had changed him so completely, the next steps of his path, he knew, would be so completely different than anything he could possibly have imagined.

I’m sitting here at the beginning of my few months at home curious about when my time back here in Michigan will look like that of Samwise, jumping in where I left off and thriving in the throes of mid-west life, and when it will look like that of Frodo, ready to head back to Kenya for my next adventure. When will life look or feel normal? When will I feel the changes so acutely, I’ll want nothing more than to step forward into my next adventure? When will the people around me?

Which friends will I find we’ll pick up exactly where we left off, my time in Kenya just a comma in the friendship? Which of my friends will I be meeting in THEIR next adventure? Will I look for in the same pub (for lack of a better analogy) and find they’ve instead moved into the stone hobbit house the next town over, their lives having changed just as dramatically as mine has?

I’m not even completely sure how my time overseas has changed who I am, even though I know it has. As much as I’ve changed, I know my friends have too. People have gotten married, babies have been borne, jobs have shifted, homes purchased. These are no small life changes, and I’m excited to see them in their new normal, even as I seek footing to find my own.

When you interact with other missionaries that have just come off the field, ask them- what has been a joy to jump right back into? And ask them, what unexpected challenges are you facing as you settle into this new season?

The answer might be as simple as, “I really almost said Asante instead of Thank You when the gal at Meijer handed me my receipt.” Or, “I keep opening the whatsapp app instead of normal texting.” But the answer might be deeper, some realization that is a gift to share as you debrief together.

What I’m not sure yet what the joys or unexpected challenges might be, I’m excited to find them together as I spend time with those I love, before returning to Kenya in August.

Would you pray for me as I transition into this brief respite home? And please reach out. I’d love to see you! 🙂