Thursday, May 21, 2009

I'm home now. Susan and I were going to go away for a few days just the two of us but, in the end, we decided not to do that and instead we've just been enjoying things getting back to normal. I can't think of what has made me smile more than coming back from a nice walk together around our little lake here at Madisi and seeing Jonathan flying his new kite and obviously enjoying himself so very much. How really blessed we are!

So much happened in the month that I was off in America with Jonathan. The people in the village of Haraka began at a feverish pace the building of their school towards an admittedly impossible goal of having their kids start school in September -- it is impossible, and I know that, but I also know that there's no point in arguing with a mob of 1500 very determined people! Rather spectacular progress was made on the building of Susan's AIDS Community Treatment Center, and it happened in spite of the heavy rains of this rainy season, mostly because our students really gave of themselves in a tremendous effort this past month. James has taken on with incredible gusto the challenge of getting the building projects at Nankanga, Memya and Imauluma finished so that we might register those three schools in time so our students there can take the national exams this year -- and there's hope, so much so that today Godfrey is in Mbeya talking with the Chief Inspector about setting dates for our schools to be inspected. The amount of work that James has produced at those three schools in the last 30 days just makes my head shake. If we had five men like James! And that's just the big picture stuff!

They've made great progress on getting the books sorted and boxed up to go to our schools so that students in our schools will have library books. Susan has seemingly unending tales of good things happening in the lives of this grandmother and that widow, and that kid, and these sick people. She's been to villages further and further away with her little car. There seems really to be no end to all that has happened in just a month.

But some of what happened while I was gone is immensely personal. It might sound trivial, and perhaps in the big scheme of things it is, but I returned from America to finding out that I can flip on a switch in the middle of the night and make it to the bathroom without a flashlight anymore. And I can use my computer any time I want during the day. Because we now have lights and electricity 24 hours a day at our house, and 24 hours a day in our office up at school. I looked at Godfrey and almost didn't know what to say. I honestly didn't know how to really say thank you. Susan said work began almost as soon as I was out the door heading for America. Godfrey had evidently been plotting this for months. Susan and I talked about all of the meat that Godfrey conveniently brought to the house time and again while I was gone, all of the little things that he and Veronica did, and we talked about all of the big and little things that people are continually doing here to show us how much we truly are loved.

Yesterday, Justin brought us goat ribs to enjoy, Damas brought me a goat to raise, and as always, this and that at our table came as gifts from this person or that person's garden. This morning little Christian -- Emmanueli's little boy who can't be much more than a year old -- wandered up the path to greet me -- he's just learning to talk and could barely get the words out as I bent over and he put his hand on my head in greeting -- Shikamoo Babu ("I kiss your feet Grandfather"), handed me a little bit of his corn to share with me, and we walked back to the house so he could pick out an orange out of Grandmother's cupboard.

I know that what everyone knows of our lives here is the work that is happening, the wonderful things that God is doing as all of these schools get built, and all of these kids come to school, and as they begin reaching out and helping the needy in their villages. And I'm thrilled with all of that as well, I truly am. But the truth is that Susan and I have such wonderful lives here and that's all I can think of right now. It truly is good to be here. There are those whom God calls to serve Him in very difficult places, who really suffer as they serve, and who are called to make tremendous sacrifices. I really admire them and their obedience. But for us, we have such a wonderful life here, and it truly is because this place is full of love. Our house was built for us by our students, so much of what we eat every day comes to our table as gifts, and my heart is happy when Susan and I walk and we look out over it all and she says with a smile ... "Imagine that we get to live here!"

It is good to be home. Very good.