RSS feedThe incredible suprise
Thursday, January 7, 2010
We were in America for 86 days. We managed to cram into those days open-heart surgery for Jonathan, a whirlwind of meetings in churches and colleges, in schools and in the homes of our friends, a few quiet dinners just me and Susan. We celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas and the beginning of a new decade, and together with our friends and family we spent a very special Saturday evening together celebrating five years since the founding of Village Schools International. Susan turned 50. Josh got to spend two months attending an American school and in case we hadn't noticed we had impressed upon us that our little boy has been growing up into quite a fine young man.
In Texas someone taped an interview with me, and then taped a second one with Susan, and for the first time she and I have our faces and our voices on YouTube. I can't wait to watch both of those videos with Godfrey & Emmanueli (you all can have a look as well at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ3FpBivxMs and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5w8eHYWyIU). But even more than watching those videos together I want to share with Godfrey and Emmanueli about the conversations that we had with the man who made the videos, about the words that Natalie, one of our former missionary teachers, spoke the evening we shared those videos publicly for the first time, and about all of the other memories that I have of that very special weekend in Texas. In North Carolina I ended up on YouTube yet again, and I look forward to showing that video interview to them as well (you can view it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGX0JM3Ykfc). It's short and to the point. but what I've got to tell them won't be! I want to share with them about the rather amazing organization in North Carolina whose offices I was sitting in for that interview, and how inspired I was to get to visit with them the day that I was in their city, and all of the ideas that have been floating around in my brain ever since.
Godfrey and Emmanueli will enjoy the videos, but I know that they're going to want to know all about everything that happened in America, and I know it will take one of our very long trips traveling across the country to share with them all of the details. There's no question that we have to hit the ground running once we get to Tanzania so telling the stories will have to wait until we have hours and hours in the car and no one to interrupt us and nothing else to do. I'm sitting on this airplane flying from Houston to London right now, but I'm imagining driving down the road on a long trip with the two of them to visit some new village somewhere where we've been invited to start another new school. We'll be eating boiled peanuts and sweet bananas, there will be plenty of time for laughter and for moments of seriousness. And I'll get to re-live with them the things that happened during these nearly three months that I've been gone
But as much as I want to tell them about everything that happened in America, I'm infinitely more eager to hear about all that I've missed by not being in Tanzania these past three months. Godfrey and Emmanueli have given me little tidbits in their emails. I know that they sent out 73 of our graduates to do internships in our schools. Godfrey has shared with me the draft of the speech he's working on to give to the Prime Minister when he comes to visit us. I know that our students at school after school have truly outdone themselves working with Fenet and Redford and Moses and our construction vehicles to tremendously push forward our building projects. So I know a lot of good things have happened while I've been gone. But Godfrey has repeatedly let me know that they have a huge surprise for me when I get home and I can't wait to see what it is. He won't give me much of a clue except to say that I will weep with joy, and he's clearly beside himself with pleasure over what they've orchestrated and very happy to be tormenting me by dangling the knowledge that there is a surprise out there waiting for me without telling me what it is! I can't wait to see Grace, Godfrey and Veronica's little girl, and to see how much she's grown. I look forward to little Christian (Emmanueli and Harima's little boy) coming down to the house to visit and ask for fruit. I want to see all of our students and teacher again. I'm eagerly anticipating the huge party that is planned to celebrate Jonathan's heart getting fixed, Susan's latest birthday, Sarah finishing her masters, and just the simple fact that we'll all be together again.
But I'm dying to know what the surprise is that they've been working so long on. I don't think that they bought another truck. Opening another school or two would of course be impressive, but even so, after opening 16 schools already, opening a couple more isn't something that will cause me to weep for joy.
One thing I do know -- the last five years have been years in which every single thing that we thought we understood that God wanted us to do, turned out to be a mere glimpse, a little fraction, of what He had planned to see accomplished. So I do look forward to the next five years with great anticipation. Godfrey says that I will weep with joy over what they have done while I've been gone. I can't imagine what it could be that would make me weep with joy and so he certainly has succeeded in arousing my curiosity. I can't make the airplane fly any faster and I can't make the clock move any quicker, but Sunday night we hope to finally be home at Madisi, and Monday morning Godfrey and Emmanueli have promised me that I will get to see the incredible surprise that they have to show us. It's going to be good to be home.
