Change we treasure

People have been so welcoming to us in every way. They have tried to understand that this might not be “home” for us anymore, and maybe we don’t find it as enjoyable as we used to. However, nothing could be further from the truth! Tanzania has become more home, but we still enjoy Bozeman tremendously!


There’s nothing sad about coming back and worshiping in our language. Listening to the Word in church, on the radio, podcasts, websites, anytime you want it doesn’t make us sad either. Rubbing shoulders with our “old” friends makes us remember what it’s like to have that constant sharpening. Raising the standard a little bit for our children is refreshing. Watching so many godly families work through issues with their kids is an example and encouragement. It does feel a bit like drinking from a hose when we are back, trying to take in every little bit until we leave.

And then there are all the “non-spiritual” things. No one cares when we go for a walk. It’s not funny to them that we are walking to exercise. No one points at us and laughs. :) We don’t stand out in a crowd most of the time. We can be relatively anonymous. That feels really good.

We can use the toaster, iron,  microwave and hairdryer without shutting down the entire solar power for the house. We can even use them all at the same time if we want to! The entire world outside our door is a refrigerator at the moment.  We have never had so much freezer room and so little need for it.

When we forget something that we need to make a meal, we can run to the store, pull bread off the shelf, or order pizza. That doesn’t make me sad.  I mean, there's nothing wrong with being a prarie woman, and I usually really enjoy it, but the option of not being a prarie woman on occasion appeals to me as well. :)

The water doesn’t smell fishy and we aren’t thinking about draining a tank.

We eat cheese just for fun.

Chocolate is an important part of our diet.

The roads don’t feel like an adventure.

This isn’t to say there’s nothing hard about America. In fact, I’m wondering these days how most of you keep your heads on straight in this culture. I’m not sad to miss all the technology that ever encroaches on having a moment’s solitude. I don’t know how we would handle all the opportunities available to our children—even just the good ones.

 I’m not sure how to help kids see how blessed they are here—we struggle with that, and we live right with the poor. It seems to me that it has never been so convenient or easy to waste your life. Granted, you can do that anywhere. But it does feel like the pull is a lot stronger here. So my cultural hat is off to you. When we come back, we learn from you. We learn how to guide our kids through this culture that they will one day probably be a part of. We learn how to keep our focus on God and not stuff from YOU. We are amazed and encouraged by your faith and your perseverance. We are blessed by your faithfulness in suffering. We praise GOD for how He is using you to shape and mold us.

And yes, we'll be excited to go back when the time comes!