The last time I paid for internet access in an airport, I was in London and charged in Euros. This evening, I am writing from the Johannesburg airport and the currency is Rand. (This month's credit card statement might look a little strange.) Anyways, I only purchased 30 minutes of internet time, so this post will be brief!
With mixed emotions we said goodbye to our friends at the House of Moses this morning and headed to the Lusaka airport. We are all very excited to be reunited with friends and family-- but we also feel like we are leaving family behind in Zambia. It is strange to feel such intense joy and sorrow at the same time, but that has been somewhat indicative of our trip. I'm not entirely sure what to make of that except that it seems to be a necessary part of doing this type of work-- and doing it well. I have a friend who does difficult social work in Milwaukee-- sometimes deciding that it is not healthy for children to remain with their natural parents. One time I asked him how he worked every day in that type of environment, and he replied tongue in cheek, "Emotional distance-- the key to able to work with people is emotional distance."
Our team is not good at emotional distance, and I am abundantly thankful for that.
Please pray for our safe travels-- from here to Frankfurt to Detroit to Chicago to home.
Peace,
Matt
4 comments:
We are very glad to hear about the team's safe return.
Regarding Nancy and Carol, Naison talked to Nancy about 2 hours ago. They were on their way to Witness's home (Naison's brother), with Desiree, his wife, on a traffic jam through Johannesburg... Nancy sounded well, and happy to know she'll meet two of Naison's brothers tonight. We thought the team would like to know.
Nyamatutus :o)
Naison and Letty,
Thanks for letting us know. It's so wonderful that Nancy and Carolyn will have the chance to be with Witness and Desiree to extend your and all of our greetings and love. We know you wish you could be there, too, so we remember you today, too.
Meanwhile, I am looking forward to seeing the rest of the team at O'Hare this afternoon!
Safe travels, in God's kind of peace,
mhc
I'm hoping Victoria and Matt are getting some sleep today, so I'm writing to let you know that our Zambia Team (except Nancy Piper Jankovich and Carolyn Scherer who are visiting with Naison Nyamatutu's family in Johannesburg) arrived safely at O'Hare yesterday (Friday) at 3:45pm. They were tired, but the weary overlay could not hide their sparkly newness.
Come to Covenant, Sunday, July 20th at 9:00am to see and hear about their journey and let it touch yours.
God's grace and peace to us all,
Melanie
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