Ice. How can something so simple make me long for home? There are so many other things and people that make me want to be home with our kids and our new son, but ice was what made me start thinking through being away from home for about two weeks.
Being able to see our children and family through Skype has been a blessing while we were in Rwanda and now that we are in Ethiopia. Our family has taken wonderful care of them, and they seem so excited to get Isaac back home to play with their cousin Peyton. The food has, for the most part, been very similar to somewhat adventurous experiences in the states. The rooms we have stayed in have been great. The people we have met have been great. All things that make me appreciate the countries we are visiting.
However, my desire for an ice-cold soda with unlimited, free refills caused an emotional reaction. This then led to me thinking through all the other things that are very different than where we are: fresh vegetables, reliable cable internet, very little humidity, my own bed, microwave popcorn, etc. I then started to remember that God did not guarantee me that I would never have to suffer, and that missing those things are not really any part of suffering.
God has blessed us with so many things over this past couple weeks. The consular in Kigali worked an extra 5 hours last Friday to process 14 total travel documents when her max normally is 5 per day. Not to mention that she was moving to Washington, DC the next week, and it was not her problem. Five passports were pushed through Rwandan immigration after the normal end time. Our entire travel group was able to get on the plane together when it looked like last Thursday it could not happen.
The most recent deliverance happened today. Those of you who know my wife know that she is the most organized person I know. She has kept meticulous files over the last 25 months, and she has been patient with me. We have an expandable folder with documents that we need that are organized by topic. Throughout this last two weeks I have shuffled documents in and out of this folder, to my detriment. Today, I was hurriedly looking for the documents that we would need for our Visa application to the embassy. I pulled out each document to look for a document that I know we needed. It was not there, and I was very concerned. I put the file down after putting everything back in it, and we went to dinner. Sheri then retrieved the file and miraculously found the document that was not there before. Blame it on my hurried approach or maybe a document sticking together. I would rather thank God for providing what we need each day and not just what we want.
I would rather have the documents, our son and our family in one place than ice and refills. I am thankful daily for what He is providing each day. I will be very thankful when we get home, and I can express my love for what we have missed. The experience is one that I will not forget, and I would not want to. I will remember the mysterious appearance of a document that made me feel much better this evening.
Jeff
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