September 10, 2008

I guess it has been a little while since this site has been updated, huh? Surprisingly having two children, one potty training and one in diapers, does not give me as much extra time as I used to have.

We are back in Ghana! Praise the Lord. After 3 months, a new baby boy, 13 flights, and 50 extra pounds between the both of us we safely arrived in Kumasi a little over 7 weeks ago. Our trip to America was amazing. We loved to be able to be with our family, eat our food and fellowship with our friends.

EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER
I thought some of you might be interested in the different emotions we felt during the last 5 months so I will do my best to relay them to you.

The last few weeks before we left to go to the USA Brett and I were so homesick. We talked about food every night and just fantasized about being "home."

I went back 2 weeks before Brett did and I stayed with my family in Princeton New Jersey. I must admit when I first got home those first couple of weeks I thought, “I never want to go back to Africa. I love my family and do not want to leave them again.”  Remember I was 9 months pregnant and although I don’t think I am that emotional I still have my moments =). I went soul winning with dad’s church and that was somewhat depressing. Princeton is a hard area any way but compared to Kumasi they might as well have all been atheist. 

When Brett arrived in the USA we flew to Indiana where he would work for First Baptist Church of Hammond. It was COLD those first few weeks there. (I prefer the hot to the cold but it was refreshing for Brett to have to wear a winter coat.) It was nice to catch up with old friends in Indiana and our brothers and sisters (Caleb, Kari, Nathan and Daniel) were there because school had not yet let out.  We also got to visit Brett’s grandparents and Aunt Janeen in Peoria. The best part of Indiana was obviously the birth of Judson – what an amazing labor and delivery. Another thing Brett and I enjoyed about being in Indiana was Pastor Schaap. I don’t know if he just got better or we have been gone for a long time but he was amazing. We looked forward to every service with anticipation. It was really nice to be at First Baptist Church.

Next we went to California to visit Brett’s family and to be in Kari’s wedding. We always have a great time there. Because of the wedding a lot of Brett’s extended family was in town so Jackson had 3 grandmas and grandpas under one roof.

Then back to New Jersey. We flew to Tennessee for a one-night stay to go to Caleb’s wedding then again back to New Jersey. Finally we made it back to Ghana on July 22nd.

Somewhere in between Indiana and California Brett and I started to get homesick for GHANA. Not only did we want to lay in our own bed, not live out of a suitcase, and get back into a routine but we also wanted to feel like we were being USED again. We missed our people, our Sunday school class, our tro-tro route, and soul winning. It was a very pleasant and encouraging emotion to feel the pull to go back to our mission field.

One big regret I have is being a bit withdrawn from my family and loved ones. I think I was subconsciously putting up a wall of defense so that it would not hurt as much when we had to leave. We probably will not be back to the U.S. for another 2 years so that was weighing on my emotions. Needless to say, building up that wall did not make it any easier to say good-bye. Lesson learned – next time I will enjoy every second I have with the ones I love not thinking about tomorrow.

My sister Lauren came back with us to Ghana. That was great. It was so awesome to have someone to experience what you experience everyday. The first day she got here we had no power and within the first few days we killed 7 of the giant roaches in our house. WELCOME TO GHANA. When she left – everything hit me at once. There was one solid day of grief that I experienced. Brett was really encouraging to me and I am so thankful for him. After that day of crying and sadness everything has been going great. It is great to be “home” in Ghana, West Africa.