Furlough

The duffle bags are out and the packing has begun for our first furlough. We are leaving Monday morning, November 27, for Lusaka where we'll spend the day doing errands. On Tuesday we will fly to London where we will spend two days with my niece and her husband. Then it's off to Dallas on Friday for an overnight stay with the Bridgwaters. David Bridgwater is a dentist who comes on the medical mission, and he has offered to do our dental work for us. We'll make it to Austin on Saturday to begin five weeks of seeing family and friends in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.

So what do missionaries dream about when they plan a furlough? Hugging our kids is number one on the list. Although Sara was here last summer, we haven't seen John for 18 months. Then we tend to focus on which restaurants we'll visit, followed by fantasies of long, hot, guilt-free (almost) showers. We anticipate catching up with friends and family, seeing how the young children in our lives have grown up, and telling lots and lots of stories about our African experiences.

Our missionary friends tell us to be prepared for reverse culture shock. After living in a land of poverty, the extravagance of the American lifestyle can be disconcerting, they say. More than one has told us that the first trip to Walmart is as overwhelming as our first trip to the open air market was here. They also warn us that we will feel out of touch as people refer to current events, movies, TV, and advertisements that we have not been a part of. It will be interesting to see how all of these things play out in the next few weeks.

We plan to continue posting to the blog at least weekly, and we will be accessible by e-mail and by phone through the Brentwood Oaks church office in Austin. We covet your prayers in this new adventure!