Out of Africa…

I stand here still in a state of suspension.  It’s not that I’m not home it’s just that I haven’t had enough time to let this whole trip soak in.  Perhaps it will take years to have even the beginning of a clue as to all that it’s done for us all.  Right now I find that I am home and it all is a familiar routine on some levels.  I know what to do, I know the drill but inside I find that I feel like a different person looking out on all that is oh so familiar.  Truthfully I felt the same as I entered Africa again after twenty years since I was there last.  I am mission…I’ve done this before but each trip changes me and leaves me looking out on a world I’ve seen before yet I’m not the same at all. I will attempt to relate some of the things I’ve seen and done and what I believe God is showing me through it all however this may not be the step by step and day by day thing I would have liked.  The pictures may not be in order.  I’ll go through them as they come up and see where it takes us.  For those that have thought of us, prayed for us and supported us:  thank you from the bottom of my heart.  This was a dangerous and difficult trip but something I’d do again in a heartbeat.

 

Returning after 20 years felt like an immense circle being completed on some levels yet on others it felt like a new beginning.  During our time in Ghana we had little time to breathe and rest but when we did we went out and saw some amazing things.  One such day we found ourselves on a beautiful beach complete with wonderful palms, sand and little beach housesWe live far inland from the ocean here in Montana so you can imagine how those that have seldom if ever seen the ocean felt at this moment.  I loved the look of the ocean through the small window on this beach shack.  The yellow of the shack and the impossible blue of the ocean stunned me and filled us all with a sense of wonder.  We had all become sensitive to the sun at this point since we were taking a medication for malaria that had this side effect but we still loved to be out with a wonderful breeze that eased the shocking heat of the sunRow after row of perfect palms stood watch over our day on the beach.  I will never get tired of the perfect tropical beauty of these trees!  Home was having one of the most beautiful Autumn seasons ever but we at this moment stood in tropical paradise.  Looking to my right I saw endless beach and perfect wavesand to my left was much the same.  Here we could rest our weary heads and soak in the enjoyment of the peace and joy of just being together to see a sight few ever get to see in their livesIt is moments like this where I recognize God pays His servants well.  I stood humbled to have the honor of seeing this beach and the ocean in Africa with my family and those t love so dearly.  Sharing my world with others is a great honor now I do this with you all as well.  Welcome to my world!  We are all pebbles on a celestial beach driven by the waves of God after all.  Waves come and go but inevitably we are all in God’s hands, He is the director of the currents of our livesI go from feeling tossed like a small stone on the beach to being immovable as a large stone No matter what being involved with trips like this can be a lonely experience on some levelsbut sharing here makes me feel that I’m showing our a closer look at who I amand that is a massive blessing:  thank you!  The many coconut trees sometimes drop a coconut early and again the theme of solitude with the potential for growth shows itself I love beaches and the sun but I have to admit that I was thankful for the breeze and the shade from the many palms.  Gabby didn’t quite know what to make of the ocean but she still had a very good timeEveryone looks at the top of a palm tree to witness its beauty but without the roots where would it be?  It seems even the palm trees are fans of soccer…no clever metaphor for thatMy daughter Danielle always sittin’ prettyGabby and her brother Michael decided to show that they were cowboys from Montana in Accra, Ghana, West AFricaLooking back on that glorious beach I recognize that God used our rare days off as much as He used the times we had ministering to churches.  Sharing this moment is a good way to start I believe!  God bless and keep you all!  You all make it so good to share these things!