Finishing up our time in the US

June 10th, 2024 

Signing in from North Carolina…we are finishing up our time in the US and preparing to return to Congo.  It has been a full 3months’ time and a blessing to reconnect with friends and family and for Emmanuel, his classmates at Grace Academy.

 

It really is amazing to live overseas and be able to travel back as we need to.  Emmanuel completed third grade and was able to participating in many end of the year activities.  Warren and I even jumped into helping host the parachute game for Field Day and go on a field trip or two.  Emmanuel received an award for his expressive reading and we are proud of him!  He also graduated from U10 spring soccer season! 

 

We squeezed a long weekend trip to Colorado to visit Bethany Church and visit with our dear friends there.  This is where Warren and my marriage began so it will always have a special place in our hearts.  Bethany has many faithful saints who have supported us over the years and become like family.  One day we crossed the majestic western continental divide with our friends the Petersons and the next day we drove over the verdant Appalachian eastern continental divide.  It is amazing how air travel really is and how varied the landscape is in the US! 

We spent a fun weekend with our friends Andrew and Sandy Barton in the coastal city of Wilmington.  Andrew asked us what we wanted to do, to which we responded “Whatever you want to do, we are up for it.  We don’t get to do this very often.”  The first day we got up before sunrise to fish for mackerel…it turned out to be a good day for fishing as we reeled in about 3 dozen fish!  Emmanuel loved wave jumping on the beach and collecting shells.  Then Andrew took us sailing on his racing lightning boat which was really fun!  It became clear immediately that he had advanced sailing skills which made it fun for us.  It was all a wonderful, stretching experience for Emmanuel!  Andrew asked if we were up for more adventure, to which we have an enthusiastic “YES!!!”  This led to a fishing trip on the middle of the night (2am) out to an island where we anchored at low tide and walked to shore and hiked a mile on the dunes to a shoal where we set lines for red drum.  Red drum is a very large fish that likes to feed at low tide during full moon…but the wind needs to be about 10mph to move the shrimp onto the shoal (something like that).  Well, we went and learned the ropes, but the fish were not biting as the wind was not strong enough.  It was still very interesting.  The good news is that this operation was repeated a week later (without us) and red drum were biting!  I feel that this gives one a healthy appreciation for God’s creation and the mysteries therein, things we can’t control.  Sandy fried up the fish many ways for fish tacos and other tasty things and accompanied us on beach adventures.  A couple of long nights of sleep concluded our adventures with the Bartons! 

  

Sometimes I feel like we have adopted certain behaviors from living in central Africa….one must stop in to see people along the way (or at least call to say you are in the area).  We were able to see more friends in the Raleigh area-the Miranda family, Joy, and Camille our way back to our NC home.    

We just returned from a week in Wisconsin visiting family and friends.  It has been about 3 years since we have been all together with my parents and sister in Wisconsin.  What a blessing it is to sit down to meal made by my mom.  The farming fields, prairies, and wetlands are still a solace to my soul and remind me of my childhood.  We stayed in a river cottage and enjoyed paddling in kayaks everyday!  I am so thankful for friends like Erin and Kate that I can just call up like little time had passed. I was able to reconnect with a couple of old roommates, Marie and Nina and reminisce on our UW Madison days over Babcock ice cream!  How is it possible that over 20 years has gone by? I am thankful for these formative years that preceded medicine and living overseas.  I wonder what it is like to be an undergraduate these days?!   

 

 

Now we shift gears and re-organize our lives for travel once again.  It forces us to give things away and think about what we need for the next season of time.  Yes, this means school materials and Christmas gifts in June, and adopting a different kind of mindset.  

 

We appreciate your prayers for us as we prepare to return-emotionally, physically, spiritually.  There are always some details to wrap up.  Pray that we can be an encouragement to our family and friends, and for our church visits.

 

Many blessings

Lindsey