Photographs from a Summer in the Mountains
It has been a truly restful summer of re-connecting with friends and family. We have spent most of the summer at our home in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. We arrived in late May from the middle of a humanitarian disaster and armed conflict in eastern DRC, disillusioned and upset. We are preparing to leave again next week feeling rested and like God healed parts of us. It took us some time, prayer, and some serious nature therapy. We have caught many fish and rode mountain trails. We identified many species of plants and trees and trudged through streams. We stood on ridges and felt storms passing through, drenching us in the process. We spent lots of time with friends and family. Emmanuel is proud to say that he has grown almost 2inches (tall enough to go down waterslides)!
Some highlights include Grandma and Grandpa coming to visit us in North Carolina and listening to bluegrass together. We had quiet afternoons watching hummingbirds and sunsets.
Several of our fellow missionary friends from Nyankunde came for visits overnight which was such a blessing, including the LaRochelles, Strietzels, and Dimons! It was a joy to watch the children re-unite. We rode an alpine roller coaster and went gem mining with our friends the Dimons. The kids were able to make new memories together.
At the end of July we traveled to Atlanta to attend our niece Jamie’s wedding to a wonderful man named Yonas. It was an Ethiopian Orthodox ceremony which started at 5am! It was a cultural experience, even for us coming from Africa. The wedding ceremony was simply the very first part of the liturgy and then continued for another 4 hours! It was a beautiful ceremony and we are so glad that we could be there to witness the joining of their lives. We visited the Atlanta Aquarium which was simply fantastic! Our aquarium favorite was probably watching the whale sharks swimming with the sting rays and manta-rays. Emmanuel spent some very special time with his aunt Alice. We then welcomed Warren’s brother and sister-in-law from Rhode Island to our home. It was a blessing to be together again.
Then mid-August we took a road trip to Wisconsin to see my family, and friends/supporters along the way. We realized that it had been 4 years since we had been to the Midwest. Even the trees at my parent’s house had grown! Emmanuel celebrated his very first birthday in the USA with my family and friends. It was a very special occasion with a piñata and classic birthday games. Emmanuel had his very first waterpark experience and dinner delivered on a train. We attended a birthday party for his youngest cousin Crew.
Then back to North Carolina again for more birthday celebrations with friends and neighbors. Emmanuel has cultivated some very special friendships with kids his age here in North Carolina. Emmanuel developed a very special relationship with our neighbors, the Messengers, on the mountain. They shared their love of reptiles and furry friends with Emmanuel. We feel like we spent the summer together.
Our church family in Boone has been such a blessing to us. We felt loved and cared for by several groups of people from our church. People reached out wanting to know us. They listened well as we worked through some difficult things. We return to Congo feeling rich in friendship and family. And just like that the summer is over in the blink of an eye.
After much deliberation we have decided that it is time to return to eastern Congo mid-September. We need to re-locate to the region of Aru, far to the north of the current conflict. Warren worked in Aru years ago and still has friends and colleagues there. We will have more freedom of movement by air and land which we haven’t had for years. We will be close to the Ugandan border and an airport. Warren will be able to provide some needed relief and assistance to the staff in Nyankunde. It is not yet considered safe to return to our village of Nyankunde and we do not know when this will change. The area around Nyankunde continues to be a militarized zone with several armed groups active to the south. Many people are concerned about the advancement of a group called ADF-Nalu in North Kivu/Ituri with terrorist intentions. Millions of people remain displaced in our Ituri Province and the situation does not appear to be improving with military operations. We continue to pray for God to intervene in this very challenging environment.
In this season we are reminded that God moves in mysterious ways and that He is able to bring good out of tremendous suffering. Sometimes He leads us through seemingly impossible circumstances to reveal a path through deep waters, like the Israelites faced leaving Egypt through the Red Sea. God makes a path. For many years I have loved the hymn called “God Moves in Mysterious Ways” by the English poet William Cowper. Jeremy Riddle has a version of the song which came out a few years ago. He expresses clearly that God brings about his mercy through great storms.
“God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the seas,
And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never-failing skill,
He treasures up his bright designs,
And works his sovereign will.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head!
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust him for his grace:
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.
His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.
Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his workin vain:
God is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain!”
-Pray for us as we leave the USA next week and of course for a negative Covid test. Pray that we would make important connections with people and pack wisely.
-Pray that we would be prepared for all the changes in the next few weeks as we settle in Aru.
-Pray for a great year of homeschooling for Emmanuel and some opportunities to learn French in DRC. Pray for him as he adjusts and makes new friends.
-Pray that we would be a blessing to Ania Hospital and other regional centers and an encouragement to the Church.
-Pray for the security of the region around Nyankunde and that God would encourage the Christians there. Pray for disarmament of armed groups and that rebels would turn to God. Pray that the military would not continue to abuse their power. Pray for many displaced peoples who must feel discouraged and even forgotten by others.
-Pray for renewed spiritual vision as we live and serve as physicians and work out the calling on our lives.
Blessings,
Lindsey for us
“But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
My heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.”
Psalm 13:5-6
Not to worry…it was staged!
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