Isaiah 55:8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says
the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond
anything you could imagine.” (NLT)
As our minds and our hearts start to switch gears for our
trip back to America, we have been thinking how different we are now than when
we left, and how we have changed. We
have laughed a lot and cried a lot, (mostly Bruce) and learned a little more
about putting aside our selfishness and giving ALL our joys and struggles to
God.
Things were not ALL as we imagined. Some things that we thought would be easy
were far more difficult; other things that we feared, or that we saw as a huge
challenge, we have faced and conquered.
Being able to step on, and kill, a two-inch roach with your bare feet is
not a scary thing anymore. Watching your
rice walk on your plate all by itself only stops you from eating for that
day. Having a house that is always
clean, bug free, with power and running water are not normal anymore. Now when we have consistent power for a whole
week we are singing praises!
Learning to spend 24/7 with your spouse has changed us too.
We both held good jobs, went to work, came home and shared a meal, talked about
our day. We each had separate roles like: Bruce mowed the lawn, Janine did
laundry etc. Now our lives and roles are
intertwined and hard to separate. The
problems that arise (which can be daily) we figure out how to tackle them together. We have had to do whatever was needed to help
each other out.
We have learned to take one day at a time and to be more
flexible. ‘Our plans are not always His
plans’. Going to pay the electric bill
could be an all day event. We can plan
to accomplish 5 things in a day, but only one or two get done. We can plan, have everything prepared, go to
the village and find there is another death, a child needs to be run up to the
clinic for malaria testing, or the rains and difficult roads force us to turn
around. We have learned to relax a
little and enjoy the moment; you may not get another chance.
Being able to do our ‘one stop shopping’ at Meijers with its
unlimited choices: Oreos, steak, clothes etc. will be a major luxury. Food choices here are very limited and
shopping in general can be difficult and frustrating. The diet here is mainly chapattis (like a
tortilla) rice, beans and matokee (banana).
We have watched families in the village dig and hunt for their food,
never having enough to feed their own families, yet in their appreciation of
how they feel blessed by us, they have given us food from what little they have,
and what they have worked so hard to get.
And we must graciously accept.
Most importantly we have learned how important relationships
with family and friends are to us; and that their prayers and support have a
greater power than we imagined. We have
a deeper understanding of how big God’s love is for ALL his children. We have learned to love a little deeper, hug
a little longer, and live more in the moment.
Life is a precious gift that we should never take for granted!
We have learned that our struggles have made us grow. We have learned to do things we never would
have tried before, to step beyond our comfort zones. And when we feel
inadequate, or not trained, we still need to take a step forward and try and
let God do the rest! His Love and
Faithfulness is never ending!
We are looking forward to seeing you all and catching up on
your lives! See you soon!
