Back Home

In the last two months the phrase “back home” has had a dual meaning for us. We spent the months of May and June in the United States with most of that time in the Dayton area. In a sense we were “back home”. This is where we grew up, where my dad lives, where our sending church ministers, where our friends live, and where our daughter lives. We stayed with her, our son-in-law, and our beautiful grandchildren. Pure joy!

“Back home” in the US was filled with visiting family, friends, and partners in our work here in Gabon. We spoke at our home church, Centerville Community Church and, as always, were blessed by the pastor, staff, and members. Our son Aaron graduated from Miami University and it was a blessing to be home to attend the ceremony. We had a vacation for just the two of us, a week at our denomination’s national meeting (Council 2019) in Florida, and another week of vacation with family on a North Carolina beach. Jeff worked a couple weeks with the great group of people at Anesthesiology Services Network, reconnecting with colleagues and friends and investigating new anesthesia techniques/equipment. We finished up our time moving our son over to Evansville, Indiana where he starts his new job and followed that up by trying to spend as much time with our grandchildren as possible prior to heading back to Bongolo. Whew!!

Yet, as we transitioned back to Bongolo this week, it certainly felt like we were “back home.” We were greeted with the warm and smiling faces of our Gabonese friends and colleagues. They were so filled with joy to see us. The love for us was palpable. The French is coming back and it’s been precious to catch up on their lives the last two months while we were away. Our apartment, while a bit foreign at first, soon smelled and felt right. We are steadily getting back into the swing of life and work here.

As we all know, home is better defined not as a building or place, but where we find warmth, comfort, and love from the people around us. So, in a sense we have been blessed to have two “back home” experiences in the last few months. We will soon begin our third year at Bongolo and while it was difficult to leave family and friends in the States, it’s certainly easier when you come home.
 

If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.   Psalm 139:9-10