I knew that this day would come, but I have been dreading it, in some ways avoiding thinking about it. You see, it is the day we head to Kigali, Rwanda to take Kelly to the airport.
We have had a fantastic time with her over the past weeks. It began with her arrival in Dar es Salaam after her missions trip in Rwanda and Uganda. Then a short vacation to the island of Zanzibar. After 4 days of total relaxation, we did the long drive across Tanzania to our new home here in Kigoma. Kelly has helped us (once again) unpack and set up our house – to become a home. She is a hard worker, has an eye for things, and is an encourager. She's learned some Swahili over the weeks as well. It has been blessed days to have her here for the summer. Every single day has been wonderful – I really mean that. We savor our days with our kids. Sally told Kelly the other day, 'why can't you remain small?'
This is one of the hardest things that missionary families face – saying good byes. It is hard on all of us. It will be a long series of flights for Kelly to get back to Detroit. At least Sally and I will have each other as we drive back. These drives are usually kind of quiet. Tears are shed, and memories flood our minds. I'm not trying to be dramatic, just sharing the truth.
When we say goodbye at the Kigali Airport, we won't see Kelly again till her graduation, May 2012. The last time we saw our daughter Megan was August of last year. I was blessed to see Adam in July of last year when I went to the USA for a medical meeting. Sally hasn't seen him since May 2010. This is really hard…
Our lives continue on by the grace of God. Ours lives on one continent, and our kids lives on another. We miss out on events in their lives, and they miss our presence. We are so grateful for email, and for Skype. We are thankful that we now can do video skype, but nothing can compare to a hug, sitting together drinking coffee, listening to what has been happening in their lives, seeing the excitement of new discoveries, offering advice, sharing what God has been doing in each of our lives. We miss that one-on-one contact. This is really hard. I'm struggling holding back the tears as I write this, sitting in my chair in the living room, while Kelly does her toes and Sally is packing her things. I know this is our last night together with Kelly in our home.
We knew about this when we began our life of missions service back in 1995. Thought it would get easier as the years have gone by, but it has only gotten harder. Sally and I are so thankful for our families back in Michigan and Ohio, how they have made sure our kids have a 'home' in the USA as well. They have been a huge blessing to our kids, and to us.
So I ask, if you would, pray for us.
- Pray for safety as we drive to Rwanda and back. About 220 miles of the road tomorrow is dirt, really bad, dusty, and dangerous. The remainder of the road that we will travel on in Tanzania and Rwanda is paved. We never take it for granted that we will have a safe journey. Pray for safety in my driving, in the other drivers, for our truck to not break down.
- Pray for Kelly as will make her long journey of connecting flights to get her to Detroit. Pray that she will have kind seat mates, safety in flight, peace and comfort in her heart as she leaves us, and opportunities to share her love of Jesus with others that she meets along the way. Thanks Sherri for picking her up!
- Pray for Sally and I as we make the long and lonely drive back to Kigoma. Pray we will experience the grace of God and the comfort of the Holy Spirit as we grieve sending Kelly back to the USA. God has always been faithful and we know in our minds that he will be faithful again.
- We thank God for the amazing support system we have that provides us with a great vehicle to make this journey (Toyota 4WD). Thank you SBC churches for your giving each and every week that makes it possible for us to be here, serving Tanzanians in the name of Jesus Christ. Providing compassionate Christ-centered care and hope. All for His glory.
- Pray that Kelly has a sweet time of re-uniting with her aunts and uncles and grandparents and cousins and friends.
- This is hard…
Daily by His grace,
Larry and Sally
My heart goes out to you all as we too are parents with kids in the US. We have recently been helping our son, who graduated in May from the College of Charleston, to relocate and get his first teaching position. Such a hard thing to do from this distance.
ReplyDeleteGod's blessings on all of the Peppers. May you find the peace He brings in knowing that your kids are in His hands and that He loves them more than you ever could.