Pause to Listen

I know we are supposed to be heading to Katie's with this post, but I had to take a break in the story and share something.

I am not sure that I ever thought about or realized how hard the transition of coming back home from a mission trip would be. I have to admit that it took me a full week before I even felt somewhat "normal" again. Not only is it hard on you physically, it is tough emotionally. I was more than thrilled to be back home with my hubby and sweet boys. I felt a whole new level of how blessed we are, but jumping back into day to day life was not so easy. I could not get my mind out of Africa and everything that was going on here just seemed SO trivial in comparison. My house was a mess...I didn't unpack my stuff...my boys even went without a bath for 2 or 3 days. All this stuff that would usually drive me crazy...just didn't really even seem to matter at the time. Regular conversation was strange, and I even struggled with sharing pics and telling stories at times. At certain points you just want to scream...no, listen to me...you don't understand what we were seeing, smelling, hearing, doing & feeling!!

God is so good! Time (and his grace) are certainly helping me in all these areas. There is one thing though, that I don't want to change. Maybe I should never wish to get completely back to "normal". I don't want to forget how God touched my heart and the feelings I had while I was there. I told friends that one of the hardest things was coming back and not feeling purpose or God's closeness daily like we did in Africa. Each day was all about serving him...no distractions..only his plan and purpose. I am sure we all had our hearts and minds wide open too, so why wouldn't we expect to feel his presence like never before? I have been a little convicted these last few days. God is right beside me here at home, just like I felt he was 1/2 way around the world. I am the one that has "moved". I have to admit that I was in such a blah mode that I really didn't even want to open my Bible or read my devotions for that first week back. Note to self...that will not help at all...lol. So, as a feeling of normalcy started to come back, I decided it was past time for me to "return".

It has been hard for me to find words to describe a-lot of things in Africa. I know a prayer for our group was for wisdom when we returned. One way I was seeking that out before our trip was to journal and write down verses or thoughts that I came across. It was amazing to look back and see how HE was making connections and laying paths. God was definitely speaking when I took the time to seek and listen. So, as I was reading last night, I wandered a little from the verse in my devotion and found this...

SORROWFUL, YET ALWAYS REJOICING; POOR, YET MAKING MANY RICH; HAVING NOTHING, AND YET POSSESSING EVERYTHING.
2 Corinthians 6:10.

This verse hit me like a rock! I stopped to write it down. It was perfectly saying what my heart felt for so many of the sweet people and precious children that we met in Africa. What is our excuse on a daily basis to not rejoice, make others feel rich, and know that we possess all we ever need in HIM! My mind was spinning, and I almost got up to blog last night, but I didn't. I am so glad that I waited. You see my God was wanting to show off just a little more. I woke up and remembered to read a daily devotion that I get by e-mail. It has been going to junk mail for some reason, so I was glad I thought to look for it this morning. I almost lost my breath when I read one of the verses at the end....you guessed it 2 Corinthians 6:10.

You see, God is always ready to speak....we just have to seek him and take the time to listen!!!

The thought crossed my mind that hearing from God can be a-lot like the radio in your car. There is always music there. But, if you never turned it on, tuned in to a station, or turned up the volume, you would never know it was there or hear any of it - only silence. HE is always there, but how often do we get nothing b/c we haven't tuned in? I know there is a lot of good "music" out there that I don't want to miss!

Hold On

So after a quick little nap we were up and back to the airport. We were happy to score our first little taste of home ....a Coca Cola in a glass bottle. Thank you Lord for the little things!! We board our flight and we were all pretty excited. After 15 hrs, a 2 hr flight was nothing. The flight wasn't full, so we all spread out and were looking forward to some relaxing and catching up on a little rest. I went to sleep pretty quickly, and then wouldn't you know it.....time to eat!!! Seriously people... it is a 2 hr. flight!!

As the stewardesses were passing out the food, it happened. The WORST turbulence I (and pretty much everyone else in the group) had ever experienced. I don't know how far we dropped, but it was scary! The looks on the stewardesses faces were not the least bit comforting either. Some said they even heard them speak a few "choice" words in English. I was waiting on some Amharic (which was usually followed in English) explanation to come over the speaker. Just let us know...we hit a little air or the right wing just fell off..lol. Right when we thought we were recovering, it happened again!! This time I remember looking down and seeing the stewardess laying in the aisle beside me. There was food & drink everywhere. I think my fingernail imprints are still probably in the cheap blue leather seat in front of me. I know I was praying, but not sure that I remember my exact prayer. Angela said she made it clear to God that she wanted to come to Africa, but didn't want to die there, so in the name of Jesus, get control of this plane...love it! Some of our group said they were imagining the headlines...3o missionaries die over Africa.

Well, God was good & listened to us. Thankfully it didn't happen again. I think he knew that some of us had pretty much reached our limit :-). We finally did hear the pilot come over the speaker. "Sorry, we went thru a cloud that wasn't showing up on the radar". What?!? Not sure how that one didn't show up, but hoping they would be on the lookout a little closer next time. We all definitely got our prayer time off to a jump start that day. I know personally I was so grateful for God's continued protection over our group...and that we had a few days before we had to get back on a plane!

We landed in Uganda, and right away it just seemed different. The airport was much better. No standing in line for hours and it just seemed more organized and up to date. We gathered all our bags and headed out to meet our ride. The weather was amazing!!! It was warm & sunny, and there was bit of a breeze. Already, Uganda was seeming like it might be worth the journey it took to get there. The bus from Canaan's Children's Home picked us up, and they brought an open air truck for our luggage. Of course, we were crammed in the bus, so a few of the daring from our group decided to get the full Africa experience and ride in the back of the truck with the bags.

We head out of the airport. We are on our way and one step closer to seeing the sweet children we came to serve. Then, before we even get completely out of the airport the bus pulls over. A little bit of concern. Is security pulling us over already? I am sure a bus load of white people doesn't stand out at all...lol. The luggage truck had a flat tire. Of course...turbulence and a flat tire!!! We were all truly learning that you just have to be flexible. Not many details are worth worrying over in Africa. This trip is God's plan & his timing, so you just have to be alright with that, no matter what. The flat tire was quickly repaired and we were off again.

Driving thru Uganda was such an experience. I was trying hard not to miss a moment or a detail. The countryside was beautiful!! There were lush hillsides and greenery everywhere you looked. Some spots even had a "tropical" look. There was still a lot poverty and randomness. It is hard to even compare what their towns look like compared to ours. In the cities, traffic was crazy!!! I learned to not ever look out the front of the bus or my heart & nerves might just see more than they could handle...lol. They drive on the left side of the road in Uganda, and there just aren't many rules when it comes to passing & right of ways. We saw several things that were a little shocking at first...a taxi with a roof full of dead chickens for example. By the end of the trip, this too was just a normal thing.

It started to rain (of course :-) ) so we had to pull over and place a tarp over the luggage. We pulled over beside a little home/ shack and some of the children came up to the bus. We got our first taste of blessing the sweet people of Uganda. They were so happy with whatever we pulled out of our bags. Candy, gum, maybe a few stickers. It was so shocking to just stop for a minute and soak up the details of how these people live. It seems just years and years behind what we know. Dirt floors, washing clothes by hand, animals roaming, no running water..etc. Yet in the midst of this there were smiles, waves, and laughter.

We finally arrived at King Fishers Safari Resort. I must say it was a very nice place (definitely by African standards for sure). Alicia and I checked into our side of the hut. Angela and Sumer were our neighbors on the other side. We got to know our first extra roomy - Leroy the Lizard. After dinner we were greeted by a cute little green frog that caused quite the chaos when 4 grown ladies were trying to catch him. We snuggled into our beds and tucked our mosquito net around us. Just hoping & praying that it would protect against many other critters..not just mosquitoes!

After soo much travel, It was exciting knowing that when we woke up we were FINALLY going to get to do the "hands on" that we came for. We were going to spend the next day at Katie's house!

Time Warp

Wow... I can't believe that the trip is already behind me. I think about all the emotion, prayer, and planning that went into it the months before and now it is just back to "normal" day to day life. It is kind of hard to sit down and start telling my story. I feel like there is so much that I want to tell you, yet some of it is just hard to describe or explain. As I was driving home this morning, my thought was that only 2 weeks ago, our journey to Africa was just beginning. Now that I am back home it seems like months since I was there. At the same time, when I wake up for a few minutes each day...... I am still there.

I guess I will just start at the beginning to make things easy. The time after Christmas leading up to the trip was pretty hard. I guess Christmas was the hump that I had to get over before the trip seemed to be a reality. Having everything done early probably wasn't such a good idea either. There was a-lot of down time in those 4 days, and it was long! A-lot of thinking time, and just trying to soak up every moment.

It was the night before. I couldn't believe it was finally here. I was able to tuck my sweet boys into bed without completely falling apart, so I knew God was already working...lol. I was actually able to get some sleep too, which was amazing. I woke up excited and ready to go. A good friend took me to the airport so Richard wouldn't have to wake the boys so early (we had to be at the airport by 6 a.m.). Once there, things were fine. We headed to D.C. for our all day layover. Our 15 hr. flight to Ethiopia was to leave around 8 that night.

Our biggest moment of worry at the airport was when we saw the dreaded luggage scales at the gate. If you recall, the size of our carry ons was a bit of a concern. We had all pretty much abandoned the 15 lb. rule and said we would risk. it. We tried to convince Jesse to either hide the scale or cut the cords, but he wouldn't give in. Luckily, our carry ons were not weighed, and we didn't have to make a decision on what "neccesity" to leave behind.

I have to say that my first real uncomfortable moment was right before we boarded the plane. There were people crowded around, most very different from us. Probably our first experience with the lack of personal space by people in Africa....there is no "box". It was a little scary thinking that I was fixing to leave behind all things familiar and go half way around the world. No turning back now, it was really time.

I was a little worried about who I would have to spend 15 hrs with on the plane. My seats were nowhere near my travel buddies from church. I ended up sitting beside this sweet lady named Ruby. She was from Ethiopia and was returning after 20 years for a family wedding. We had some great conversation and she was a perfectly fine travel partner.

I was really amazed at how well I did on this flight. It was long, but I made it!! Slept some, listened to my I-pod , watched some movies, watched the young girls from our team entertain the cutest little boy, and oh, yeah...ate. Let me just tell you that these people have no mercy when it comes to meal time. They shake you, raise your seat up, and say time to eat..really?!? This would happen about every 3 or 4 hours. We went from night to day and back to night again too on this flight. That was a little strange.

I wish I had a picture, but as we were flying over Africa and getting close to our destination, God greeted us with the most amazing sunset I have ever seen. It stretched completely across the horizon and was full of amazing reds and oranges. To me, it meant so much. A sign that HE was right there waiting for us in Africa. I tried to keep that in mind as we were approaching Ethiopia. When I looked out the window, I kept looking for the bright lights of the city...not so much. I did finally see some lights, but nothing like you see as you fly into an American city. It was a little strange and did give me a feeling of uneasiness..... welcome to Africa.

We landed in Ethiopia. Thankful for our 1st safe flight across the ocean. The airport there was our first real lesson in patience and just a beginning to what the term "African time" really meant. I was so thankful to be with a group of 30 other people. I would have completely freaked out had I been alone. There was not a lot of rhyme or reason to anything going on there. We had to stand in the longest lines for several hours to get our visas (at least I think that is what we were in line for). Again, no since of personal space and lots of rude people who would just pass or do their own thing. We were definitely in a different world!! Some good time to get to know others in our group, and of course practice the art of compassion and kindness.

We finally got thru the lines, and it was on to get the "bags". Let's just say that by the end of this trip we were happy to not be traveling with 60 black duffel bags. We made it thru with our luggage and then on thru the sea of people in the airport lobby. Our guides from the guest home were there to meet us. As we stepped out of the airport, I got my first wiff of the African air. There is definitely a distinct smell. A sweet wood might be the best way to describe it??

We loaded our luggage onto one bus (yes it took a whole bus just for that) and the team loaded onto another. As we were driving to the guest home, I was looking out the window trying to take it all in. There was nothing pretty or comforting about it. It was dark and only dim lights lined the streets that were filled with randomness. The buildings looked so run down, fences of tin or whatever they could find to make them of, wandering dogs, people here and there, litter scattered about. Oh, my...what was I getting myself into!!

We rang in the New Year on the bus. Not so sure that would have ever been a thought of mine... to be on a bus in the middle of Ethiopia for the New Year. We arrived at the guest home. The tall concrete walls with a gate and razor wire at the top was the first thing I noticed. Once we entered though the home was very nice. They had fixed us a great dinner of some yummy spaghetti (yeah...something I can eat). We went outside for a little bonfire, some confetti, and a toast to officially ring in the New Year...it was really a neat moment. We headed off to bed. The sound of barking dogs and crowing roosters was disturbing, but I was able to get in a short nap. We had to be up in about 3 hours to go back to that dreaded airport.

Uganda here we come!!!