Last night we arrived home from a three-week trip to South Africa. Because of the rains in the wake of Cyclone Kenneth, which you might have heard about, we were delayed in getting home. We were stuck in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, on Sunday, and yesterday morning as we approached Pemba, the plane began to land but then went back up—twice. We were then informed that we had to land in Nampula (a nearby city) instead. We waited there a few hours, and at one point we thought we would have to return to Maputo, but by God's grace the weather cleared in Pemba, and as we sat in the plane on the runway, the pilot announced that we would be able to fly to Pemba after all.
We are grateful that our doggy was fine and our house was not damaged—there were only a couple places that water had seeped in on the floor. When we get out and about, we'll see how badly the city is damaged. The road to our house from the airport was even more horrible than usual, so I expect things will be rough. And we know that in some of the nearby towns/communities, there is terrible devastation. We will be involved in purchasing/collecting items to deliver to the victims to help them get through this time of loss and suffering. These will be buckets filled with things like mosquito nets, cups, blankets, mats, and soap. Please pray for Pemba and the surrounding communities, the victims, and us as we minister to them in Jesus' name and have opportunities to share the hope of the Gospel. (Photo above courtesy of my friend Laura, who has been documenting the effects of the cyclone so poignantly.)
If you would like to donate to the Baptist Global Response (BGR) relief efforts for Cyclone Kenneth, which we will be participating in, please go here for more information.
I don't want to take away from the sadness of these events, but I did want to share briefly about our trip to South Africa. We spent the first two weeks in Johannesburg, the first at a mission meeting and the second doing medical, dental, and eye appointments/checkups. Then we flew to Cape Town to meet my parents for vacation. I won't take the time in this post to go into all the details of our travels, which could fill a book! But I wanted to share a few reflections to give you a taste of my experience. Here goes. (Click on the photos to see full-size versions—you can scroll through them that way too.)
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| Out to lunch on our first day in Cape Town |
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| With Mom on Table Mountain |
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| Ben and Tabby with their Oma and Uncle Mark |
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| With my brother Mark in downtown Cape Town |
Being with my family was the best. It didn't feel like it had been a year since I'd seen them. Everyone had safe travels and a lovely time in Cape Town. And speaking of Cape Town ...
It is heavenly. It lived up to the hype. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, ask anyone who has ever been there.) Everywhere you look is a postcard view: mountains, beaches, forests, flowers, blue sky. The people are wonderful, the city is clean, and it's generally affordable. Here's what we did: Table Mountain, V&A Waterfront, seal viewing, Big Bus city tour, Castle of Good Hope, Cape of Good Hope, Cape Point Lighthouse, Simon's Town/Boulder Beach penguins, scenic drives (Camps Bay, Hout Bay).
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| My friend and fellow missionary Monica after the race |
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| Pre-race excitement |
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| Our missionary running group (some 5K, some 10K, a few 21K) |
I've still got half marathons left in me (I've run them on two continents now). Had a lovely experience running the Birchwood Half Marathon (at the last minute) with missionary colleagues in Johannesburg.
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| Happy to be alive and healthy for birthday 42! |
After numerous medical, dental, and eye appointments for our family, I'm thankful for clean bills of health!
It's always a pleasure, a blessing, and an encouragement to be with IMB colleagues at meetings (for us and especially for our kids).
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Judah with a friend at the big Hawaiian-themed party
the volunteer team threw for us during our mission meeting |
Volunteer teams that lead worship, work with our kids, and bring us treats at our meetings are my heroes.
Three weeks away from home is plenty—it's too easy to get used to the comforts of South Africa.
I'm happy to be safe but hurting for the cyclone devastation and friends who are suffering.
Our family is privileged to live this life of ministry, travel, and adventure. Thank you, God!
I'll post more pictures from the trip on Facebook and may write more soon. But I wanted to post while this was all still fresh in my mind. Blessings!
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