Random thoughts

Here are some of my random thoughts over the past several weeks:

1. It's funny to me how I can feel so at home in two completely different places.

2. Driving back to K town felt like driving back home, but it's no longer our home.

3. Isn't it weird how random things that don't change can make you feel more comfortable, more settled? Like this door still standing after 8 months?

How this is still standing I have no idea!!

4. How can kids grow so much in 8 months?

5. Yassa is possibly one of my favorite foods….minus the chicken :)

6. Somehow my Senegalese dog, Zelli, is fatter than when we left. The only thing that can account for this is ceebu jen!

7. I still can't stand for my feet to be dirty before bed.

8. Short hair isn't as great as I thought it would be. I actually have to try harder to fix it than I did with long hair :(

9. Me + fabric market =Danger! Danger!!

10. Cold showers at the end of a hot day are better than just about anything!

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#happyreunions

Returning to our old town has been filled with #happyreunions. Normally I don’t speak in hashtags, but I’ve documented some of the joyousness of the last week on Instagram under this hashtag. But I’ll stop now referring to it now J

The greetings of our return have been anything from “You’ve come back!!! I missed you” to “I thought you left for good”. But the best three, the three that made me cry and touched my heart were the following: “My baby has come home.” ,“Our tiredness will stop now that you are back.” , “I missed you!! I’m truly truly your family now!”.  Oh and then there was the little 5 year old sitting on my lap with her head against my chest, sighing deeply saying, “Binta I missed you so much. I didn’t miss Ibrahiima, but I missed you.” She’s so ornery!!

Part of me feared that when we got back, people wouldn’t really be that happy to see us. That I hadn’t touched their lives like they touched mine. I was worried that I would be more happy to see them. And I was okay with that. My family and friends here have changed my life. They’ve opened my mind up to a whole new world, a  wondrous place I never knew….oh sorry Aladdin is playing in the background… But seriously they did open my mind. They allowed me into their lives, into their homes and we forged deep bonds because of that. They taught me how to cook here, taught me how to hand wash clothes, how to draw water from a well. They taught me how to live without feeling like I was missing anything. They made me depend on God more, without out them even knowing it. They made me trust in Him more. They made me refine and know the core of my theology. They helped me work through cultural misunderstandings with grace and forgiveness. They made me seek His face in every word I spoke.  Without them even knowing it, they helped me get closer to God.

It’s been #happyreunions all around. Our reunions have been sweet and joyous exactly like I was hoping they would be.

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A new goat trail

We are moving.....if it’s possible to be looking forward to it and dreading it all at the same time, then that’s what’s going on…we’re moving…

While we were in the States, God moved in our lives in BIG ways. He showed us very clearly what He wanted for our next term. Even when I didn’t understand it, He still showed us through others what He wanted. And for that, I can say that we are excited to see what God has in store for us in our new location. We know that is where we are supposed to be, and so we are excited about the newness. Excited about making new friends, finding new villages, finding new places in a new market, making new dumb decisions…the whole lot. We are excited.

But at the same time we are dreading it. Our old town was great. We love it. It feels like home. Being able to walk out of the market and speak to anyone is great! Being able to go into an office and speak clearly is so helpful! Knowing where all the little hidden treasures are is comforting. Not having to make new friends for this introvert is a sigh of relief. Seeing people we have prayed for accept is an answered prayer! Seeing God work in huge ways is amazing!!  And now we have to leave….

I’m not going to lie. I’ve had a couple of moment this week of pure narcissism. If we were here, then this wouldn’t have happened like this. If we were here, then this would be happening. If we were here, then____________. But then I’m reminded: God doesn’t need me here. He’s made that clear. And things are happening the way that they are going to happen. God blesses me by allowing me to be a part of His work, but He doesn’t need me. He chooses me. He chooses others. And the work that He is doing will continue and grow, whether I am here or not.

And so I will only look forward, to our new town, to the new adventures that await us. Because looking back will only make you trip over the goat lying in the road.

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