#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.