Since our last prayer blog, we have seen six countries, two Canadian providences and five US States; granted for some of these places we only saw the soil/tarmac from an airport window. Donna and the kids were detained twice by Home Land Security and subsequently missed two flights (they were detained because their travel itinerary included a two hour layover in Turkey). Four bags spent eight days wandering through Airport Neverever Land. We have arrived at the wrong airport for a flight, demonstrating that it is not only the airlines who make mistakes. We have attended two conferences, hosted one graduation party and one reception for the Cox kids. We have experienced reverse culture shock. (Since when did churches have the stage lighting match the background color of the video screen during worship?) We have had sweet reunions and fellowship with friends and family members, made a few new friends, been encouraged by many and discouraged by finding some doors locked to places we thought were home.
In a week and half we will take Nehemiah to Oklahoma Christian University for him to start his college life. The next day we will put Micah Joy and Miriam on a plane to return to Kenya to continue high school at Rift Valley Academy while we remain in the States to share the vision of our work with Africa Theological Seminary and what the Lord has done the last three years with TWR. Then the following day, we half jokingly and half seriously say, we will cry.
Praise God with us that for all the miles and snafus we are well and God provided a few helpful people in the midst of Airport Neverever Land bureaucracy who were able to help us get on our way (special thanks to Edna in Houston who searched, found and forwarded our bags to us). Pray for Nehemiah as he starts university, pray for Micah Joy and Miriam as they travel and pray for Donna and I as we launch our kids different directions and then focus on sharing what God has done and the new vision of what He will be doing at Africa Theological Seminary.