“They are going to put Bo in jail.”
The phone call comes from my wife Leah around 6:45. “Bo pulled onto Entebbe Road after we thought the presidential convoy had finished going through, but it hadn’t. He was pulled over and now they want to impound the car. Can you come and get us?”
I picked it up because I was feeling dry.
The well-thumbed copy of Bruchko seemed to call my name from my bookshelves. I slid it from the shelf, must creeping to my nose with the satisfying feeling of an old, delicious story. (Wow, I realized–they left out a lot in the newer version of the book.)
Even though it was years ago, I remember it as clearly as if it were today: the year our Christmas was a sickly yellow.
It had taken me a good while to adapt to life in Ghana. After many mornings of tears–morning is when the reality of life there would hit me–I adjusted well. Life was good: The evening Bible school was off to a good start, we were getting to know our neighbors, Gary was mentoring a couple of men and I was helping Nicole, French and married to a Ghanaian, grow in her new faith.
I was leaning back in my chair at 6 AM in our spare bedroom that doubled as an office. And I was telling God how dissatisfied I was with how things were going.
I was in seminary preparing for missions. It was my second year; I loved my classes. We had spent an awesome summer in New Zealand teaching at a Bible School.
Recently I described my new favorite morning routine while I set the kids up for virtual schooling. Once things hit an even keel, I tackle last night’s dishes and take in one of my fave missions podcasts.
Let’s face it: The world of missions is vast and full of diverse opinions and ideas. Thankfully, here’s no singular method to show the world the Savior we love.
Editor’s note: When you’re far from home, celebrations can both intensify and improve that “fish out of water” feeling. Celebrating Thanksgiving overseas might make it feel more like home, richer in the new faces around the table.
I awake. Soon, it’s morning coffee, dishes from last night, and a missions podcast. It’s become my new routine as my kids settle into their virtual classes for the day.
In sharp contrast to what I see and experience in my stateside Christian community, most days the world I hear through these podcasts includes stories of persecution. Discipleship-making movements.
